Leeds Live reported on the prosecution of Trinity Developments Ltd, Niche Homes Ltd and APP Construction Ltd, respectively the owners, managers and developers of the Trinity Halls student accommodation block in the city. At Leeds Crown Court, the companies were prosecuted by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) after it inspected the site amid concerns from parents of students moving their children into the block.
In September 2016, a concerned father called WYFRS to report the building, as he had been moving his daughter into the block ‘but became concerned by the state of the premises and would not let his daughter stay’. On receiving the report, WYFRS inspectors attended and discovered ‘breaches in legislation’ across the block, and found out that students had moved in on the upper ground floor ‘while other floors were still under construction’.
Failures that ‘contributed to the significant risk’ included a ‘lack of appropriate fire alarms and detection’, exposed timber framing, storage of flammable items on stairwells and ‘no markings indicating fire escape routes’. There was only one ‘available’ fire escape that was ‘compromised due to combustible materials’, so students ‘would not have had early warning to evacuate’ and ‘would have had to travel 35 metres to get to the nearest fire escape, almost double the recommended limit of 18 metres’.
At that point 27 students had moved in, with WYFRS inspectors issuing a prohibition order that forced them to move out ‘for their own safety’, with the case’s judge Judge Mairs stating that the situation had the ‘potential for catastrophe’. He praised WYFRS for issuing the prohibition order ‘quickly and reducing the time students were put at risk’, with all three companies admitting a series of breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Trinity Developments Ltd and Niche Homes Ltd both admitted the same four breaches, including: failing to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment; failing to take precautions to make sure the premises were safe from risk of fire; failing to provide an appropriate fire detection and alarm system; and failing to provide an adequate number of fire escape routes and exits. APP Construction Ltd admitted failing to provide an adequate number of fire escape routes and exits as well.
The three ‘were all offered credit in court for their early guilty pleas’ at previous hearings, but Judge Mairs said all three companies had ‘high culpability’, adding that the ‘risks were so obvious that a member of the public spotted them – so they should have been obvious to the companies involved’. APP Construction Ltd was fined £450,000, Trinity Developments Ltd £160,000 and Niche Homes Ltd £60,000, with all three agreeing to pay respective costs of £9,000, £6,000 and £6,000.
Chris Kemp, WYFRS senior fire protection manager, commented: ‘This case demonstrates the importance those responsible for building construction, development and occupation have in understanding their duties and acting responsibly to take account of the safety of the people they are responsible for.
‘As Judge Mairs highlighted, the dangers and risks found at Trinity Halls were so obvious anyone without a technical fire safety background could identify them. The conditions that were found on site were such that some of our senior officers have not seen such blatant disregard for the law and the safety of residents in 28 years.
‘[WYFRS] are committed to ensuring the communities of West Yorkshire are safe and feel safe in the buildings they use. We will continue to work with building owners to support them in achieving this, however when we are faced with concerns such as were found at Trinity Halls, we have no alternative but to consider legal action against those responsible for putting people at risk.’