Croydon housing blocks to get fire sprinklers

In response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Croydon Council will be installing fire sprinklers in twenty-five of its housing blocks.

Councillor Alison Butler, the deputy leader, announced at the council’s cabinet meeting that council blocks with 10, 11 or 12 storeys will be receiving fire sprinklers.

The announcement comes after the council began reviewing its housing blocks following the Grenfell Tower fire. The review covers all 16 council blocks over six storeys high that have cladding, as well as another 23 without cladding. The council are expected to conclude its review soon.

Butler said: “This council is committed to installing fire sprinklers in 25 council blocks with 10 storeys or taller because last week’s tragedy showed we all need to bolster fire safety measures for our residents. I will also be writing to the Government challenging them to give us more support in our plans to make our borough safer. In the meantime, we will continue to work with London Fire Brigade to ensure our housing continues to meet fire safety standards, and we will respond to any recommendations that emerge from the Grenfell Tower investigation.”

Sheffield City Council and Southampton City Council are also looking to put sprinklers in their high-rise tower blocks in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Sheffield confirmed it will be putting sprinklers in all its 24 blocks, claiming that it had ‘always intended’ to review the sprinklers policy later this year but will bring the review forward to ‘provide extra reassurance’.

The chief officer of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, David Curry, has called for ‘decisive action’ to prevent such tragedy occurring again. He said: “Following the inquest into Shirley Towers, the Coroner recommended the retrofitting of sprinklers be considered in all high-rise blocks. This was also the case following the Lakanal House fire in London in 2009, in which six people died. Yet disasters such as last week’s are still capable of occurring. Since Shirley Towers, we have campaigned for the installation of sprinklers in high-rise buildings and I believe that, as a country, must now commit to the installation of these life-saving devices in all high-rise blocks. Time and again, sprinklers have been proven to prevent the spread of fire in buildings and drastically reduce the threat to life. It is time for decisive action that will not only allow families to feel safe living in buildings such as these, but to prevent anyone having to relive the terrifying events that unfolded in Grenfell Tower last week.”