Works are planned to improve fire safety at a block of York flats more than 20 years after it was badly damaged by a blaze.
Plans lodged by Taylor Wimpey would see fire safety works carried out at Heslington House, also known as Fulford Place, on the corner of Fulford Road and Hospital Fields Road.
The developer’s application stated the works followed a survey which found some components in the building do not currently meet fire safety requirements.
The application comes after a blaze engulfed the building in 2005 and a fire damaged a flat in 2007.
A burning rag on the building’s roof is believed to have sparked the first fire in May 2005.
More than 80 firefighters battled the blaze which was said to be one of the biggest in York in recent years.
About 60 people were left homeless as a result and although none of them were injured, one firefighter had to be taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
A North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service investigation later found there had been problems with the way the flats were constructed which appeared to fall foul of building regulations.
Investigators stated some of the compartmental walls which joined the roof were not properly sealed, leaving them unable to stop flames from spreading.
They said the ‘sandwich’ panel structure on top of walls was not separated by compartment walls.
And they added that a wooden partition wall between blocks was unlikely to have withstood the fire for the required 60 minutes.
Investigators also ruled the burning rag which sparked the fire should not have been able to spread through the roof and into two separate blocks of the building.
The findings prompted calls from City of York Council to strengthen national building regulations.
Developer Taylor Woodrow who built the flats claimed they had been constructed with materials approved by the Building Council and they had not been informed of any regulatory breaches as a result.
Second fire
Firefighters were dispatched to the flats again in April 2007 after a fire began in a resident’s kitchen.
A candle was found to have been left on top of a microwave which ignited nearby papers, with the fire spreading as a result.
Location of the flats
That blaze was put out after about 45 minutes and parts of the flat along with a communal lobby area were damaged.
Plans from Taylor Wimpey lodged with the council this August stated the proposed works were required to improve the fire safety performance of external walls and associated building elements.
Works are set to include the removal of existing HPL cladding systems, timber support battens and combustible membranes and other components.
Cavity barriers are set to be installed within roof voids where required, with combustible ventilation ductwork set to be removed and a steel replacement fitted.
Other combustible materials are set to be removed and replaced and firestopping measures installed.
The application stated: “The survey identified certain components which do not meet current fire safety requirements, together with areas where cavity barriers require replacement or installation.
“Accordingly, remedial works have been developed to address these matters.”