WISBECH: Could residents win a reprieve in fight to keep communal carpets and plants?
RESIDENTS told to rip up carpets and remove plants and flowers from the communal area of their block of flats may win a reprieve. The Wisbech Standard has been assured by Roddons Housing Association that they will hold talks with residents about options
RESIDENTS told to rip up carpets and remove plants and flowers from the communal area of their block of flats may win a reprieve.
The Wisbech Standard has been assured by Roddons Housing Association that they will hold talks with residents about "options to create a homely, yet safe, place to live."
The assurances came as it was revealed that Wisbech Carpet Depot offered to replace the carpets in the block with commercial flooring tiles that pass fire safety tests.
The tiles, called Gala tiles, are stuck to floors and are tested for heat resistance by dropping hot metal on them.
Danny Wright, of Wisbech Carpet Depot, said: "We lay these in commercial properties all the time where fire safety is an issue, so there is no reason why these residents cannot have them as well.
"We'll do the test for them if they want us to."
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The residents - Lionel Rand, Rose Nunn, Joan Maxey and Julie Rivett - said they were "agreeable" to both Roddons' review and Mr Wright's offer.
Mrs Nunn said: "We don't mind what we have, providing the concrete floor is covered with carpet so we do not slip over."
Last month, the Standard told how residents of the block in West Street - owned by Roddons -were told their improvements contravened fire safety regulations.
A Roddons spokesman said: "Following the recent fire risk assessment, we are now surveying all of the communal areas in West Street and will develop some options to create a homely, yet safe, place to live.
"Residents will be involved and consulted every step of the way to make sure that they are at the heart of any decisions that are made.
"Once we have agreed a plan with our residents we will be in a position to look at all the options open to us, including the generous offer from the flooring supplier.
