Brighton & Hove Council Blocks Deemed Unsafe Following Surveys

Brighton & Hove City Council have been contacting residents living in some of the city's council-owned high rise blocks with building safety updates following a series of structural surveys.

As part of the council’s responsibilities under the Building Safety Act 2022 and Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, the council has recently been commissioned detailed structural surveys on the eight council-owned large panel system (LPS) high-rise blocks in the city.

Large panel systems were popular in the 1950’s and 60’s for building multi-storey residential buildings across the country. The buildings consist of reinforced floor and roof structures supported by precast concrete large panel walls. 

The eight council blocks in Brighton & Hove are Dudeney Lodge a Nettleton Court in Hollingdean; Falcon Court, Heron Court, Kestrel Court, Kingfisher Court and Swallow Court in north Whitehawk; and St James's House in Kemp Town. 

The surveys were carried out on the council’s behalf by independent consultants, which included both observational and intrusive surveying, and the findings show the buildings do not meet the current safety standards in relation to their ability to resist a disproportionate collapse in the case of an explosion or large fire. 

The council says that while there is no immediate danger to the buildings – and measures such as a ban on gas cannisters and barbecues have long been in place – it says it has acted on the advice of its independent consultants and taken a number of immediate steps as additional safety measures.

Working closely with the fire regulator East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, the Building Regulator and the Social Housing Regulator, the council has already introduced the following actions alongside the existing comprehensive building and fire safety measures:

• A temporary ban on e-bikes and e-scooter in all areas of the buildings, with the council providing alternative storage for these away from the blocks.
• A temporary ban on vehicles parking underneath the blocks, which includes temporary closure of the Chapel Street car park and a temporary suspension of the use of the garages behind Nettleton Court and Dudney Lodge. 
• A further detailed inspection of the communal gas boiler at St James’s House.
• A 24 hour security service will be put in place for all the buildings to help manage what’s taken into the building and to support with floor walks and maintaining clear entrance and exit ways.

A number of drop-in meetings for all the blocks are being set up over the next few weeks to give residents an opportunity to talk to councillors and council staff and ask any questions.

The council is continuing to work very closely with East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and will be visiting all residents to discuss the new measures and check fire safety compliance in all the flats. 

Councillor Gill Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing and New Homes, said:

“We do appreciate this will be worrying news for many residents in the LPS blocks, and we do apologise for that.

“We would like to reassure that the health and safety of our residents remains an absolute priority for the council, and we are working at pace to put in the additional precautionary to ensure the safety of the buildings.

“I will be holding drop-in sessions in the three areas and I’d invite all residents to join us. We will be vising all residents and are committed to working with them as part of our ongoing response to fire and building safety and our duties under the new national legislation.

“We have not had any discussion on the longer-term future of the buildings at this stage. Any decisions on that will be made following full consultation with the residents.”