The ‘distressing’ living conditions in a Bristol council block

Residents are growing frustrated waiting for extensive maintenance issues to be fixed by the council in a tower block in east Bristol.

Since 2020, residents of Corbett House have repeatedly contacted their landlord Bristol City Council to sort out conditions in their flats.

From flooding and blocked sinks to cracked walls, mould and noisy pipes, there is a raft of repairs and structural work to be completed in the 15 storey tower on Beam Street in Barton Hill.

Bristol City Council said it will spend £3m on refurbishing Corbett House and carry out “significant improvement”, with work beginning at the end of April.

This will involve will involve replacing cladding, roof and windows for all the flats, as well as internal decoration and ventilation works to communal areas.

Ahmed has to keep an umbrella in her bathroom to protect herself from leaks – photo: Acorn

One resident of the 87 dwellings in the block is an elderly single woman with health issues called Deqa Ahmed.

Ahmed, who is 79, uses her neighbours toilet during the day due to severe leaks in her bathroom. At night, she uses an umbrella to go to the toilet to block dripping water from the ceiling.

Ahmed’s story is one that is replicated throughout the high-rise block.

Another resident, Ayaan Shirdoon, said: “My flat has flooded seriously three times now, distressing my children in the middle of the night.”

Samira Musse and her children live on the 14th floor. Musse said: “My walls are cracked. My sinks are blocked. I feel my ceiling is going to fall down on me one of these days.”

Hadaya Mama also said: “As an autistic person, the incredibly noisy pipes in our building constantly trouble me.”

In February, some residents staged a protest for safer conditions in the hope of the council listening.

Bristol City Council responded and a meeting was held at the start of March for residents to identify persistent problems.

The council now say they are going door-to-door to speak to other residents, and have arranged a drop-in session for later this month.

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Back in 2020, residents met with mayor Marvin Rees and other council officers and promises were made to rectify issues in Corbett House. As a result, the council said 16 flats were assessed and repaired.

In response to complaints about noisy water pipes, the council said they also trialled water pressure-reducing valves on 10 properties and then rolled out a programme to all flats in November 2021.

But there is growing frustration among tenants not enough positive change has materialised.

Ewan McLennan, a member of Acorn, said: “Since that meeting in 2020, essentially nothing structural has been done…

“There’s a feeling amongst a lot of the tenants in the flats that they’re pretty angry but that the council don’t listen.”

Residents of the social housing block took action at the council offices demanding a fix to the problems they are facing – photo: Betty Woolerton

A Bristol City Council spokesperson told Bristol24/7:“We understand the frustration felt by some residents over the length of time taken to carry out repair work at Corbett House.”

“We have recently taken action to fix the noisy pipes and faulty windows and we are also pleased to confirm that a £3 million contract has been awarded to carry out a significant improvement programme of work to the block. It will include replacement of the existing cladding, new roof and new windows for all the flats, as well as internal decoration and ventilation works to communal areas. This work is expected to increase the energy performance of the block as well as improving the look and feel for residents.

“The work is due to start towards the end of April and will take around two years to complete. Then, in 2024, we are planning a full refurbishment of the laundry facilities.

“We held a meeting with residents at the start of March and a questionnaire was issued to all residents to help us identify any persistent problems. We are continuing to go door-to-door to speak to people we have not had the chance to talk to yet, and have arranged another drop-in session for later this month.

“Once we have the results of the survey, we will look to see if we need to plan any additional work based on the feedback, and we will continue to meet regularly with residents to make sure they are kept up-to-date on progress.

“All repairs that have been reported are currently in progress, and we continue to encourage residents to report specific maintenance issues so that we can deal with them as promptly as possible.

“We would like to thank all our tenants for their patience.”

Main photo: Betty Woolerton

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