To-be-demolished council flats are ‘falling apart’

Residents of a tower block in Cardiff due to be demolished have said their homes are "falling apart".

Tenants of Channel View estate in Grangetown were informed in 2016 they would need to move to new buildings - but their completion dates have been delayed.

They have been told it could be another four years before the homes are ready.

Cardiff Council acknowledged the delays and said it would look at what "improvements can reasonably be made".

It also said that Channel View residents will have "first priority" once the new flats are complete.

BBC Wales spoke to a number residents of the 13-storey, council-owned property, many who expressed concerned about the condition of their flats.

At the home of one family with three young children there were patches of black mould on the walls. The walls also had water marks, and the family were using old scarves to mop up water that was coming through the windows.

Katy Monaghan, who has lived in the flats for 20 years, said the situation made her feel "miserable", adding that it is so cold that her hands and feet "go blue".

"It's really uncomfortable. I would rather anything than be cold all the time - the place is falling apart," said Ms Monaghan, who lives on the first floor.

Andrew Rice, who has been living in the flats for six years, showed a crack in the window on the 9th floor, saying the council "can't be bothered to fix it".

He added that the boiler should have been replaced, but said the council had not done so because the flat "is coming down".

"I've told them all of this - it's like talking to yourself," he said, adding that draught was another issue, and that he had put tape on the windows.

Not everyone was unhappy about the situation.

Keith Fruin has been living in the flats for 40 years, and said: "Nothing's fantastic, but I'm happy. I've got no complaints about my flat."

Lynda Thorne, a councillor in Grangetown, and Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities for Cardiff Council, said she understood tenants' frustrations, describing their experiences as "awful".

A few weeks ago she said she organised a meeting with residents to discuss their concerns, and that 30 residents turned up, of which only three wanted to move.

"We want to try and accommodate in every which way - but even moving people out during this housing crisis is difficult and it's not a speedy solution," she said.

A spokesperson for Cardiff Council said that following the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017, a review of the council's high-rise residential blocks led to the removal of cladding from five buildings, including Channel View.

"While the cladding on these blocks was not the same as that on Grenfell, it no longer met current buildings-safety standards," the spokesperson said, adding that a decision was made not to re-clad Channel View, but to redevelop the area with new homes.

"Unfortunately, the development of the new buildings have been delayed with the pandemic playing a part," they said.