The safety of people living in private accommodation has been at the heart of sustained efforts by the city council after major safety issues emerged at an apartment block in Norwich.
All 53 flats in the privately-owned building of St Peter's House, Cattle Market Street, were evacuated by the city council on 11 April last year after potentially life-threatening hazards were identified.
The council has since been liaising with the owner of the building to ensure work carried out at the former office block is compliant with building regulations.
That ongoing work has resulted in the council issuing building control completion certificates for the block and each individual flat within it.
The emergency prohibition order the council put in place last April, which prevented people from living there until key safety work was carried out, has also now been lifted.
As a result, residents who have leaseholds within the apartment block, can finally return home.
Councillor Beth Jones, portfolio holder for public protection at Norwich City Council, said: “Cases like this illustrate the shocking indictment of our under-regulated private housing sector.
“In this particular instance, it has resulted in many people being forced to be away from their homes for a long time. I’d like to thank them for their resilience and patience during what has been a really difficult time.
“None of this would have been possible without the tenacity of many council officers. They never stopped in their efforts to make sure that a raft of very serious issues in the building, including serious fire and electrical safety matters, were addressed.”
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