The long-awaited Marie Curie House fire safety report has found that some of the post-Lakanal works were not done properly and, in some cases, not undertaken at all.
The report was commissioned to establish why, after six people tragically died in the 2009 Lakanal House fire, sister block Marie Curie House, Camberwell, had undetected fire defects for over a decade.
It reveals that incomplete repairs were signed off and that there appeared to be “limited oversight” as to whether contractors had the right qualifications to carry out fire assessments.
As a result, some fire assessments “simply echoed information of previous risk assessments” meaning opportunities were missed to rectify defects that had gone unnoticed.
Darren Merrill, Cabinet Member for Council Homes, apologised for “the anxiety and disruption” the failings had caused residents, many of whom have yet to find new homes.
Marie Curie House residents still waiting for fire report months after it was meant to be completed
The independent report, carried out by construction consultancy Frankham, recognised the council had “shown a willingness to rectify and manage fire safety issues at Marie Curie House”.
Mike Edge, Sceaux Gardens Tenants’ and Residents’ Association Chair said: “We are obviously glad that this Report has finally been released, but it poses some very serious questions to Southwark Council and points to several serious failings on their part.
“Tenants across the borough will require reassurances that the recommendations made are taken on board and that such serious failings in the area of fire safety can never again be repeated. Apologies for failings are all well and good, but meaningless without lessons being learnt and adopted without any further delays.”
In July 2009, immediately after the Lakanal House fire, extensive fire safety works were carried out on Marie Curie House.
But some vital works were not carried out even though they’d initially been earmarked as important parts of the repairs, the report revealed.
http://southwarknews.co.uk/news/housing/council-demand-answers-after-a-report-commissioned-on-marie-curie-house-fire-safety-does-not-address-key-questions/
For example, bathroom ventilation works were not carried out. Similarly, compartmentation, which prevents fires from spreading across buildings, was either inadequate or simply not done.
These works were then “inadequately scrutinised” meaning they were signed off as complete, leaving residents in unsafe homes for another decade.
Fire risk assessments carried out on Lakanal house in 2013 and 2016 highlighted the specific issue of bathroom ventilation.
The report said it was “disappointing” that no mechanism existed to raise alarm bells that there were similar defects in Marie Curie House.
The report made several recommendations. These included ensuring a “suitably competent person” would review the fire risk assessments and compartmentation surveys for Marie Curie.
It also said there should be “adequate oversight” of upcoming remedial works in Marie Curie. Future fire risk assessments should also include inspection of all communal areas of the building, including ceiling voids, it said.
Some questions do however remain. Why did the council hire contractors who apparently lacked all the necessary expertise to carry out fire assessments?
Why were incomplete works signed off as if they had been completed?
And will a mechanism be implemented that allows works across similar buildings to be cross-referenced so key defects aren’t missed?
http://southwarknews.co.uk/news/housing/council-makes-correction-after-branding-the-marie-curie-house-fire-safety-report-not-good-enough/
Councillor Darren Merrill said: “As part of the response to the fire safety issues found at Marie Curie the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Housing requested that an independent review be undertaken to identify how this situation had arisen and the lessons that need to be learnt.
“A specialist firm was chosen by residents to undertake this work. The independent report from this review is attached as an appendix to this report. Whilst the review recognises the progress Southwark Council has made in improving fire safety across our homes over recent years, it also finds that in 2009/10 some fire safety work at Marie Curie was either incorrect or not done and that this work was inadequately scrutinised at the time.
“I apologise to residents that the council did not get this right in the first place, and for the anxiety and disruption this has caused for them. This report sets out how the council has acted to ensure Marie Curie is safe, working with the fire service. As well as the changes we have already made and that we will make to ensure all fire safety works are done correctly in future.”