Tower blocks demolition is 'least worst option'

A plan to close four tower blocks and rehouse hundreds of residents is the "least worst option", a councillor has said.

Portsmouth City Council has decided to close Barkis and Nickleby House in Buckland and Tipton and Edgbaston House in Somerstown, with all residents to be rehoused by 2030.

The blocks would require "strengthening works" if they were to remain open, the council said.

Councillor Darren Sanders, in charge of housing, said the project would have cost £35m per block and would only have extended the lifespan of the buildings by around 20 years.

The Liberal Democrat told a council meeting on Wednesday: "Telling someone they have to leave their home is awful.

"I had to do it to my own mother... To ignore the human consequence of this is absolutely stupid.

"But we're here again because we've got four blocks that are approaching the end of their natural life at a time when buildings standards are thankfully more stringent."

Five of the council's 22 tower blocks were investigated in the wake of the Grenfell fire tragedy, because they were built using the Large Panel System of construction which was popular in the 1960s.

One of the blocks, Wilmcote House, has been repaired.

The remaining four, which are to be closed, show "no evidence of immediate structural instability", surveyors said.

However, work lasting several years would be needed to "meet modern expectations alongside general fire safety improvements".

Speaking at the meeting, Edgbaston House resident Areen Saeed asked the council to reconsider its decision.

He argued: "Communities like this cannot be designed by architects. They are built slowly, patiently through trust, kindness and shared experience."

Another council tenant Nicola Masters raised concerns about the impact on the housing waiting list.

She said she had spent years in a two-bedroom maisonette where four young children were sharing one bedroom.

The council also agreed to assess the potential for building new housing blocks.

One development is due to be completed in 2030 on the site of the former Leamington and Horatia blocks, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Sanders said: "I hope we can put in place something that will last for decades or longer to come and that is the only way we can give people who are facing real pain some hope for the future."