'Poor quality' Biart Place towerblocks to be demolished

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'Poor quality' Biart Place towerblocks to be demolished

Postby dutchman » Wed Sep 19, 2018 7:42 pm

High-rise tower blocks which have dominated the Rugby skyline for over 50 years are to be knocked down

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Rugby Borough Council (RBC) said the blocks at Biart Place were likely to be demolished and replaced after they were found to be ‘beyond economic repair’.

A report to councillors recommends appointing architects to design new council housing for the site.

In April, RBC began moving residents out of the high-rise blocks with a view to repairing or replacing them because they had been built to a ‘poor standard’ and may not ‘perform as expected’ in the event of a fire or explosion.

Survey work found the blocks, built in or around 1968, were missing some strengthening steel angles which should have been added shortly after they were built.

It also identified a number of other construction problems, including corroding steel reinforcements, and carbonation – ‘concrete cancer’ – weakening concrete in ‘critical areas’.

Of the 124 flats at Biart Place, 91 are now vacant and the blocks are on course to be empty before the target date of March next year.

Tower blocks at Rounds Gardens were found to be ‘of better construction’ than those at Biart Place.

Surveys found structural connections at Rounds Gardens to be ‘generally well-formed and in place’, with concrete anticipated to last more than 30 years.

Floors and walls were found to vary in thickness – but the effect on the structure is not yet known.

The report recommends councillors fund more structural surveys at Rounds Gardens to clarify whether the blocks should be repaired or demolished.

More funds for extra fire alarm systems at Rounds Gardens were also recommended – echoing calls from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue service.

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