Landlord completes £5m sprinkler retro-fit across 17 high rise properties
ForViva Group has completed a £5m investment to retro-fit sprinklers in more than 1,300 homes in Salford and Knowsley.
Sprinklers have been installed in all 17 of ForViva’s high rise blocks.
It was one of the first landlords in the country to announce such a plan following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
It took the decision to take swift action to enhance the robust safety measures already in place and offer tenants peace of mind.
Sprinklers have been fitted into all apartments, communal areas, bin rooms and scooter storage facilities in the tower blocks. In addition, larger water tanks have been installed with the sprinkler system having its own separate booster water supply.
In Salford the blocks where sprinklers were fitted were in five blocks in Barton Village and seven blocks in central Eccles, while sprinklers were installed in five blocks across Knowsley.
ForViva took the decision after consulting with tenants, fire safety experts and regional fire and rescue services.
Colette McKune, group deputy chief executive at ForViva, said: “The safety of tenants and their peace of mind is our top priority.
“We took the decision to remove cladding on affected blocks and install sprinklers, not because we lacked confidence in our existing fire safety arrangements, which we had immediately reviewed, but because we knew some tenants did not feel safe in their homes.
“We worked closely with regional fire and rescue services after Grenfell, but on a national level we felt clear guidance on regulations would take some time. We listened to tenants and their concerns and felt we had to act decisively.
“We undertook this work not only to provide additional reassurance to tenants, but because we believed it was the right thing to do.”
Each tenant living in the blocks received an induction before work started and received ongoing support to keep them updated throughout the process.
Peter Memory, 68, lives with his wife Carol-Ann, 67, at College Croft, a 15-storey high-rise block of sheltered accommodation in Eccles, Salford.
Peter Memory
He said: “Seeing what happened to people living at Grenfell Tower was an extremely worrying time for many people living in high-rise blocks.
“I understood why my neighbours and other people living in blocks like mine were worried and felt unsafe. One of the biggest factors in helping people living in our block feel safe after Grenfell has been installing sprinklers.”
He added: “Even though we were reassured that the block was safe and action was taken to replace cladding really quickly, I felt that ForViva made the right decision in agreeing to fit sprinklers to all their high rise blocks.
“It was clearly a big investment, but what tenants appreciated was it was done when other people living in other tower blocks around the country still hadn’t had their cladding taken off.
“My wife and I now feel safer than ever. We know that if a fire does ever happen the sprinklers will turn on.”
