News / Barton Hill
New fire-proof cladding to be installed at Bristol’s oldest tower block
Bristol’s oldest tower block which was evacuated amid safety concerns in 2023 will have its future secured with new fire-proof cladding.
The city council has successfully applied to itself for the works at Barton House.
Planning officers have granted permission for the new insulation at the 15-storey building in Barton Hill, which has 98 flats.
They agreed that formal planning consent was not required under permitted development rights.
In planning documents, the applicants said external cladding would be replaced to improve thermal efficiency and fire safety, with new windows to match the ones still there when the tower was built in 1958.
They said: “The finish and colour will match the existing for both the render and brick cladding elements.
“One communal window adjacent the stairs on each floor will be replaced with a new fire-rated version to further improve fire safety within the building.
“These replacements will consist of new 60-minute fire rated frames and glazing – the proposed frames will closely match the appearance of the existing windows.
“Consequently, the building would not change in appearance or the actual façade material type, or the colour.
“The existing façade which has ‘limited’ combustible materials, is just being replaced with ‘like for like’ non-combustible materials.
“This development forms part of a larger city-wide re-cladding project to greatly improve the thermal efficiency and fire safety of the included blocks.
“The programme solely incorporates the improvements to the external works, with no internal works intended for the individual flats.”
Bristol City Council declared a major incident in November 2023 when it ordered the evacuation of the block.
Following extensive structural surveys, the local authority told residents in February 2024 it was safe to return home.
Main photo: Karen Johnson
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