People living in a tower block which the council says "does not meet current safety standards" say they have been left in the dark over what is happening.

St James's House in Kemp Town, Brighton, is one of eight high-rise towers in the city found not to meet the standards to be able to withstand an explosion or fire.

Following independent surveys, Brighton and Hove City Council has taken precautions including a temporary ban on e-bikes and e-scooters across all areas of the building.

The block currently has scaffolding on it and work is being carried out.

One resident, who gave her name only as Julie, has lived there for four years. She said: "I suppose in a way it’s for our own safety but sometimes the noise can be a bit too loud. It’s been going on for over a year now.

"There are times me and my children have had to leave the house for a while because of how loud it would get.

"The council have not given us any timeframe as to how long it will take to get all the work done.

"It all has to do with fire and safety regulations, I reckon they are doing it in the wake of what happened at Grenfell tower a few years ago.”

 

'The council have not given us any time frame as to how long it will take to get all the work done.' The building is covered in scaffolding (Image: Ramy Abou-Setta)

More than 70 people died when a high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in 2017.

A Brighton and Hove City Council electrical team manager on site at St James's House, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “There is no concrete timescale for the work. In the absence of data, we are erring on the side of caution until we can confirm that everything in the building is in order.

“There is nothing urgent that needs to be done, it’s just maintenance and upkeeping with new regulations as the building has been here since the 50s.”

Another resident, Peter Foster, 63, said: “I know that the scaffolding and work are necessary and I’d say I agree with what the council are doing.

“To be honest, half the time I forget it’s even there. I’ve been here 50 years as of this month, I came here when I was about 13 years old and I have seen a lot of changes but it’s been worth it.”

 

• A temporary ban on vehicles parking underneath the blocks, which includes the temporary closure of the Chapel Street car park.There is a temporary ban on vehicles parking underneath the blocks, which includes the temporary closure of the Chapel Street car park (Image: Ramy Abou-Setta)

The council has  introduced the following measures at St James’s House:

  • A temporary ban on vehicles parking underneath the blocks, which includes the temporary closure of the Chapel Street car park.
  • A further detailed inspection of the communal gas boiler.
  • A 24 hour security service to be put in place.

Chris, who has been a resident for over 14 years, said: ” It has been horrendous, the noise and the faff of all the scaffolding all over the place. It just has been a terrible time all round. They’ve even blocked off the car park there, as the council thinks there could be a fire hazard.

“They only set us up with a security guard yesterday – before that we’d have loads of people taking drugs as the scaffolding keeps people out of view. There is no time scale either of how long we all have to deal with this.”