In a climbdown this week the Town Hall promised to fit new fire doors at a Clerkenwell tower block despite a recent report stating they were “low risk”.

The change of heart has raised concerns about the validity of the borough’s fire risk assessments.

In a letter in the Tribune today (Friday - see below), Islington housing chief Diarmaid Ward says: “We agree fire doors at Michael Cliffe House need replacing, and are addressing this as a ­priority.”

He confirmed that fire doors separating the corridor from the stairwell in the communal areas of the council-owned flats would be replaced.

But a fire risk assessment carried out by a council inspector in July last year said the fire doors were “low risk” and did not recommend replacing them. Instead, the inspector said “the fire doors within the common and landlord areas [are] suitable and sufficient”.

Residents of the 24-storey block in Skinner Street said they first told Islington Council in 2010 – a year after the disastrous Lakanal House fire in Camberwell – that the block’s 1960s fire doors did not fully close. Richard Larcombe, who lives on the 17th floor and is chairman of Finsbury Estate Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, said he no longer felt confident about council assessments. The fire-resistant doors at the entrance to individual flats also needed to be replaced, he added.

In a letter in the Tribune last week, Mr Larcombe said: “They [the current communal fire doors] would offer minimal smoke protection in the event of evacuation via the staircases as they are around 50 years old and have large gaps, cracked glass or doors that do not close, in addition to falling short of current standards of fire door design.”

Of the fire inspection undertaken in July last year, Councillor Ward said: “We’ve got every confidence in our fire safety officers.”

He added that the council owed it to residents to ensure their safety and would now carry out an audit.

During a fractious meeting with Town Hall chiefs and residents of high-rise build­ings in Finsbury and Clerken­well on Tuesday, Cllr Ward defended the delay in having all the cladding removed from Braithwaite House.

Independent tests of cladding at the Bunhill block, fitted as part of a 1998 refurbishment, confirmed the presence of aluminium composite material (ACM) last month. Grenfell Tower, the block of flats in North Kensington where at least 80 people died in a fire last month, had aluminium panels in its cladding.

Cllr Ward said the Town Hall’s fire safety procedures are examined by an independent body.

"Safety on our estates is our top priority, and we will do whatever it takes to keep our residents safe (Tower fire risks: we still don’t feel safe in our flats, July 14).

At Michael Cliffe House, we have carried out work to convert two dry risers to wet risers so water is more easily available to firefighters. We have worked closely with London Fire Brigade and other agencies, including Building Control, to make sure the work meets their requirements.

We agree that fire doors at Michael Cliffe House need replacing, and are addressing this as a priority. We are talking to one of our contractors about this work now, and will keep Finsbury Estate Tenants’ and Residents’ Association (FETRA) and residents updated.

We are actively looking into whether it is possible to retrofit sprinklers in tower blocks, the cost of fitting sprinklers and how effective they would be in improving safety. Current building regulations do not require the retrofitting of sprinklers during refurbishment or other building works. Regardless, we are actively looking into this.

On the issue of fire seals and fire stopping on the new hot water system at Michael Cliffe House, it is important to note that the communal heating works and associated fire stopping are still taking place on-site. We are talking to Building Control and the contractor to ensure the effectiveness of fire stopping, including inspections of the fire stopping that is installed. We’re also looking at improved fire safety relating to the cabling housed in metallic boxing on the outside of the building.

We welcome Professor Arnold Dix’s report on fire safety at Michael Cliffe House and have written to FETRA to explain how we are addressing points he raised. It is worth highlighting that Prof Dix’s report concludes that “this building is inherently safe and could well serve for many more years as safe housing if managed, upgraded and maintained correctly in the future”. We are committed to improving fire safety, as outlined above.

All of our buildings, including Michael Cliffe House, have an up-to-date fire risk assessment. Where appropriate, we are carrying out joint inspections of our buildings with London Fire Brigade and will follow all recommendations it makes.

We very much understand the concerns and fears of residents on our estates – at Michael Cliffe House and in other buildings – and will listen to any issues they raise."

Cllr DIARMAID WARD
Labour executive member for housing and development, Islington Council

• Keywords
  FIRE PREVENTION, HIGH RISE BUILDINGS, COUNCIL FLATS
• Geographical keyword
  SKINNER STREET
• Persons keyword
  Skinner Street Michael Cliffe House