A man living in the the city centre tower block that had to be ‘evacuated’ over a dramatic fire safety report was left homeless on Sunday night, the Manchester Evening News can reveal.
The resident, who does not wish to be named, returned to Manchester from Europe, having spent Christmas with his family. Before he left to return to the UK, he was assured hotel accommodation would be provided for him because he is unable to stay in his flat in the Bracken House block.
However, the man arrived back in the city in the early hours of Monday morning (January 9) and went to check-in at a city centre hotel — but his booking could not be found. Property managers IPM, who oversaw the evacuation just days before Christmas and organised alternative accommodation for the 115 flats in Bracken House - on Charles Street in town - say an ‘an administrative mistake occurred at the hotel resulting in the resident in question being turned away’.
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The man in question was forced to spend a night on a friend’s settee on Monday, and had to miss work because of his ordeal.
“I’m sad because every day since the evacuation, I have been chasing them to get a room booked for me,” he explained. “At first I asked the hotel staff to look for a reservation in my name or with [the first password IPM gave]. They couldn’t find it, and I tried [another password].
“IPM has an emergency phone number, and I called it but no one answered. I was at the hotel for 20 minutes and they could not find anything. They said they knew there were people from Bracken in the hotel, but they could not find anything for me.”
The man is just one of hundreds who was kicked out of their homes after a December 21 fire risk assessment (FRA) found ‘a number of issues required more urgent attention than previous FRAs had identified, and as a result, it was advised that the property needed to be evacuated’. Residents left their flats on December 22, and have been staying in hotels or serviced accommodation ever since.
Are you a resident affected by the evacuation? Email ethan.davies@reachplc.com or contact him on Twitter via @EthanDaviesMEN
One insider told the MEN that the key issues involved fixing the building’s lift and installing a proper security presence. He added: “There’s a to-do list. On the initial list is that it needs a front desk and fire doors, and to fix the lift. Once you have got 24 hour security, all the crime will stop — but that’s £30-£40,000 per year.”
In regards to the individual who was left homeless on Sunday evening, an IPM spokesperson pointed to a hotel ‘administrative error’ which hotel staff have apologised for. A statement said: “Following the evacuation of Bracken House on 22 December, we secured alternative hotel accommodation for all residential occupiers and agreed a process with hotel management to ensure that all could be re-housed at a time that was convenient for them.
“On this occasion, an administrative mistake occurred at the hotel resulting in the resident in question being turned away. We have spoken to the hotel management who have apologised for the inconvenience caused to the individual, and they will be addressing the matter internally to ensure the same issue does not happen again.
“We can confirm alternative accommodation remains available for the resident in question. This has been confirmed to them and we are working with the hotel to ensure the resident is checked-in.”
The man has confirmed to the MEN that he managed to check-in to a hotel room, paid for by IPM, on Monday (January 9) evening.
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