Barton House: fire expert raises concerns over safety report as residents return

One issue, Mr Tarling wrote, is “failure to inspect the external envelope and common parts of the building over the last three months – or earlier”.

He added: “In my opinion too much is being assumed.” 

For example, he said: “They use an assumption, that could have been checked on site, to suggest that the steelwork is 98% utilised and conclude that a 17KPa blast will not over utilise the steel structure.”

A 17KPa explosion is regarded as the lowest impact that occurs on a building and is the minimum set for calculations, according to Mr Tarling. 

Barton House was built in the late 1950s and is a large-panel system (LPS) building, according to Bristol Council. 

LPS was a construction method mainly used in the 1960s and 1970s in which blocks were built using large, pre-fabricated concrete slabs.

A high-profile incident in 1968 saw Ronan Point, an LPS tower block in east London, partly collapse following a gas explosion only two months after it had opened. Four people died and 17 others were injured. 

Earlier this month, it emerged that Bristol Council had been told in a surveyor’s report about structural issues at Barton House 15 months before the tower block was evacuated.

Speaking to Inside Housing, Mr Tarling said the latest reports were “ignoring” information from Building Research Establishment about how a building structure “behaves differently the higher you go up”.

He said: “What they have not taken into account is how the building will behave at the top of the block.” 

A Bristol Council spokesperson told Inside Housing: “We’re aware of the letter and we’re reviewing it.”   

A spokesperson for Ridge said: “We are working closely with our client, Bristol City Council, to reach the best outcome for residents. Along with Arup and Bristol [Council, we have made a thorough assessment of Barton House and we are confident in the findings.”

Arup has been contacted for comment. 

Work carried over the past three months at Barton House includes a central fire alarm system being fitted and “additional fire-proof padding of existing steel supports”, according to the council.

However, some residents have voiced concerns about returning to the block and are unconvinced it is safe. 

Tenant Chan Osmond, who has lived in Barton House for nearly 12 years, told Inside Housing: “We are only going back because we have to. We don’t really want to, but we’ve got no choice.” 

The council offered accommodation to residents at a Holiday Inn in the city, but were asked to leave by Friday last week to return to Barton House. 

Ms Osmond added: “I’m not staying there [Barton House] permanently. They [the council] have known it was dangerous for over a year. A lot of people are not trusting what they are saying.”