Grenfell campaigners outraged over Westfield owner’s plans for ‘death trap’ apartment block
A developer has faced fury after plans for an apartment block twice the height of Grenfell with just one fire escape staircase.
The 35-storey building has been proposed by the owner of the Westfield shopping centres, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), and will be part of a complex of 1,760 new homes, the Guardian first reported.
The apartment block will be reliant on the same “stay put” fire strategy that was in place for Grenfell residents in 2017, under current building legislation.
Reports of the skyscraper, which is to be built just a few hundred metres from Grenfell Tower, follows outcry over similar plans from another developer in Tower Hamlets.
Campaigners had expressed outrage at plans for a 51- storey skyscraper with one fire escape, causing developer Ballymore to delay its plans.
Now, Grenfell survivors have called on the government to “fix this broken system” and prevent buildings similar to the North Kensington tower being constructed.
On Twitter, Grenfell United, a campaign group set up by Grenfell survivors and bereaved families, said buildings with such fire strategys “can be death traps.”
“More Grenfell Towers are being planned, constructed & labelled safe for residents……and they’re still legal,” the group added.
The government is presently viewing the provision of escape routes in building regulations, after campaigners have said one staircase is an inadequate safety provision.
URW’s plans include a second tower which will also have just a single fire escape, with the developer pointing to “other mitigation measures” including sprinklers and safe facades.
A spokesperson for URW told the Guardian newspaper that building safety was a “key priority” for all of its developments.
They added: “As part of the design process we have engaged a fire engineer to ensure that access and egress arrangements for fire brigades and occupants satisfies the London Plan guidelines and meet all required building safety protocols.
“We also work very closely with the local authority planning department, who in turn work with the London fire brigade directly to ensure applications are in line with regulations. In addition, our buildings have other mitigation measures in place including sprinklers throughout the buildings and the use of 100% non-combustible facades.”
A spokesperson for the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, the planning authority, also said: “The safety of residents is our number one priority. We take a tough line with developers to ensure that anything they build is fully compliant with all safety and other regulations as a minimum, and that local people are fully consulted.”
The London Fire Brigade said it was aware of the development and would be providing a response to the planning consultation.
The brigade had expressed fire safety concerns to Ballymore last week, resulting in it delaying its planning submissions to Tower Hamlets’ council.
A fire brigade spokesperson said: “We are aware of this development and we will be providing a response to the planning consultation.”