Site icon Inside Croydon

Fire Brigade ‘concerns’ over safety of 44-storey tower

insidecroydon

The fire brigade has expressed concerns about the fire safety of the “unusual methods” of construction of the world’s tallest prefab, the black twin towers on George Street opposite East Croydon Station.

The twin towers at 101 George Street were almost finished a year ago. Today, all 456 flats are still empty

Inside Croydon revealed in February that delays with the sign-off of building regulations by Croydon Council had prevented 546 tenants from moving into their new homes in the prestigious, £180million development, named Ten Degrees by developers Greystar.

Built by Tide Construction using modules that were manufactured off-site, the 44- and 38-storey towers were completed in March 2020 in record time. But despite eager tenants paying their deposits and being given move-in dates in August and September 2020, today the blocks remain empty.

It was not until Monday this week that the build achieved practical completion, having met the demands of the building inspectors.

Last month, Greystar advised their customers that they might be able to move in to Ten Degrees from April.

There’s been less PR spin about Ten Degrees in the past few months

A report in Property Week today says that the London Fire Brigade has conducted a fire safety audit and had submitted comments to “the relevant bodies who make the final decision”.

The magazine quoted a LFB spokesperson as saying, “As we increasingly see boundaries pushed in terms of developments built using modern methods of construction, we have found that there is a need across the industry for more research on how this impacts building and fire safety.

“We are concerned that buildings are being built using more unusual methods without a complete understanding of their performance in fire, so we would encourage developers proposing new construction approaches to engage fire and rescue services at an early stage in the design process.”

Sources in the LFB in Croydon have also expressed some concern over the height of the Ten Degrees towers – at 450 feet tall – and some other high-rise blocks being built in the town centre.

Property Week quotes the Ten Degrees construction firm, Tide, as blaming the coronavirus pandemic and the scale of the buildings for the delays in the sign-off of what they call a “rigorous process”.

Tide said, “We have worked diligently and proactively with all stakeholders throughout this process and are pleased to report the building has been signed off by all authorities and has achieved PC.”


Exit mobile version