Fire prevention sprinklers now in place in Doncaster high rise flats

St Leger Homes has confirmed works to install sprinklers into its nine high-rise buildings has now been finished.

The company worked with Doncaster Council to improve fire safety across its housing stock after the Grenfell Tower disaster, at a cost of around £6m, with sprinkler installations accounting for over half the spending. South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority contributed £200,000 to the installation of sprinklers at Silverwood House.

In addition to the installation of sprinklers and other fire safety improvements, the passenger lifts at Silverwood House were also replaced and the communal areas in this building upgraded.

Arturo Gulla, Director of Property Services at St Leger Homes, said: “Safety has been the main concern when looking at the changes that needed to be made to our high-rise buildings. Our tenants are always at the heart of our work and we believe the installation of sprinklers in every home, will make a real difference to people living there.

“Since the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, we have been working closely with our colleagues at Doncaster Council to ensure fire safety is improved and that any changes that need to be made happen as quickly as possible.

“Listening to the needs and views of the tenants is central to what we do and we are delighted to have set up a new High Rise Forum for tenants living in our high rise properties, so we can ensure these unique views are included in our decision making processes going forward.”

Coun Glyn Jones, deputy mayor and cabinet member for housing and at Doncaster Council, said: “It is crucial that all of our residents feel safe in their homes and that’s why we committed a significant amount of our council’s capital budget to improving fire safety in our council housing.”

Roger Brason, of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “We’ve championed the use of sprinklers, particularly in high-rise buildings, for quite some time, so we’re delighted that all of the blocks in Doncaster now have them.

“In most cases, they will extinguish a fire completely and prevent it from spreading any further.”