Agenda item

Assistant Director, Barbican and Property Services to be heard.

The Assistant Director provided the following updates:

a)         The Fire Strategy Document, which includes fire signage was being finalised and would be forwarded to the House Groups for their input.

b)         The Fire Safety Officer/Member Working Party had been set up 2 years ago to deal with the ‘stay put’ policy.  The Working Party would be convened again, once feedback on fire safety had been received, to consider the strategy and ensure a jointed up approach.  The Assistant Director agreed to provide bullet point notes after the next meeting.

c)         The fire door audits were underway and once complete, a design team would be procured, and the project would enter Gateway 3-4 of the decision making process.

d)         The draft report on compartmentation at Brandon Mews was complete and James Ball was thanked for his assistance. 

e)         The Barbican Estate fire risk assessments were expected complete in the next 3-4 months and residents would be updated in due course.

f)          The Arup Survey and London Fire Brigade (LFB) Inspections had taken place and Helen Davinson and Sean Moore (Property Services Manager) were thanked for their hard work during difficult circumstances.  The towers had been audited at the end of August, with nothing major to report.  There was an outstanding item in respect of how the LFB would access Shakespeare Tower, and whether the premises information box was in the correct place, both of which were under consideration.  

g)         The Arup Survey was underway; with Andrewes House now complete and a first draft received for Cromwell Tower.  The Assistant Director advised that the intention was for the full set to be presented to the BRC, rather than piecemeal, but stressed that anything of substance would be dealt with immediately and reported to the House Groups.

In respect of the design of the fire doors, the Assistant Director advised that this was a complex task, but full consideration would be given to the views of residents, planning colleagues, English Heritage and 20th Century  Society.