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Building owner fined £50,000 after ignoring high-rise fire safety warning
Cristina Lago Deputy Editor
The Centenary Plaza residential building in Birmingham. Image: Google Street View
Birmingham City Council has successfully prosecuted a company for failing to comply with an improvement notice relating to fire safety measures in a residential high-rise.
Freehold Managers (Nominees) Ltd, the company responsible for Centenary Plaza on Holliday Street, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an improvement notice during sentencing at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 16 October.
The local authority pursued legal action after the London-based company failed to undertake the necessary improvement works required to make the building safe.
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The legal notice issued by the council in September 2023 mandated the repair of fire doors, improvements to emergency lighting and the provision of suitable means of escape from the building in the event of a fire.
After the Grenfell Tower fire, Birmingham City Council formed a team of specialist officers to address fire safety in high-rise buildings, funded by a government grant.
The council said this is the second prosecution of this type by a local authority using powers provided under the Housing Act 2004, and the first in the West Midlands.
Councillor Nicky Brennan, cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said: “We have zero tolerance for owners of buildings delaying essential life-saving fire safety work.
“This decision represents a milestone in our drive to raise standards and hold building owners to account in Birmingham. It will also help set an example for other authorities across the country in safeguarding their residents’ interests using the powers available under housing legislation.
“This sentence sends a clear warning to all building owners operating in Birmingham that they must act swiftly in the interest of our residents’ safety first and always, otherwise we will take decisive action against you.”
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