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Orbit investigating blocks in Hastings after evacuation of 17 families
Orbit has confirmed it is investigating several blocks built by the same developer in Hastings after it was forced to evacuate 17 families from one building in the run-up to Christmas.
The landlord took the decision to evacuate after a fire service inspection identified a number of serious fire safety issues.
The incident was brought to the attention of Inside Housing after a concerned staff member highlighted potentially hundreds of other flats in Hastings that have been built by the same developer.
This concerned employee said that staff at the landlord had already raised issues about these properties with Orbit over the past few years.
In response, Orbit said: “The safety of our customers is our number one priority and, following advice from an independent fire safety inspection, we took the difficult decision in early December to provide alternative accommodation for our customers at 43 Earl Street.
“We are sorry for the disruption this continues to cause for our customers, especially as we had to take this decision in the run-up to the festive period. We have found everyone alternative accommodation and we are in constant contact with each of them about their individual needs.”
The landlord described the evacuation as a “precautionary measure”, while it is in the process of co-ordinating a long-term remedial solution on this building with the original developer.
Orbit also confirmed it has a “small number of other properties within our portfolio which were constructed by the same developer”.
The landlord added: “We are in the process of conducting inspections on these as a purely precautionary measure. However, we can confirm that all of these buildings have valid fire risk assessments.”
Towards the end of last year, Phil Andrew, the new boss at Orbit, spoke to Inside Housing about his plans for the landlord since he stepped into the role.
Mr Andrew said: “I want to look at how I can do everything through the lens of our residents.”
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