Wandsworth RA Forum

Past campaigns

Archive · 2018 to 2019

Sprinklers: action for a consultation

This is an archive of the 2018 to 2019 sprinkler campaign, kept as it was published. In December 2019 the First-tier Tribunal struck out the council’s application, deciding that it needed to take a block-by-block approach.

How it ended

On 19 December 2019 the First-tier Tribunal struck out Wandsworth Council’s application for a blanket decision to fit sprinklers in 100 high-rise blocks and charge leaseholders for them. The tribunal decided that the council would need to take a block-by-block approach.

Thank you to everyone who helped: councillors, the law students who worked pro bono, residents’ associations, and the leaseholders who paid for legal representation.

The campaign as it was published

Find out all you need to know about sprinklers from local residents point of view

Following the fire at Grenfell Tower of June 2017, Wandsworth borough council (WBC) took a rushed, unilateral, decision that sprinklers should be fitted to all properties in blocks of 10 storeys or more without consultation and with urgency.

WBC initially tried to fast track a hearing through the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) to decide if the council has the legal right to implement their scheme. Since then WBC have backtracked and now say they will also wait for the recommendations of Grenfell Tower enquiry which may not be published till 2021 as to whether or not to proceed.

Residents take fire safety extremely seriously and wish to support improvements in fire safety throughout the councils' properties. However the vast majority of residents fundamentally disagree and have major concerns to the specifics of the proposed scheme which fails to address a number of issues.

Frustratingly, due to WBC imposing a legal process, we are unable to collaborate with the council with ideas to improve their scheme with a more proportionate proposal without prejudicing the case. More importantly, due to how WBC has gone about it's proposal, residents in need will not have the protections sprinklers (fire suppressant water-based systems) afford for a number of years to come. A different process and proposal could well have seen residents who want this type of protection, across the borough, to have it already.

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