St Anne's Quarter

How would the fire service access all homes in the event of a fire?

Once the fire service arrive, they’ll have either been informed of the location of the fire in advance or they’ll immediately check the fire panel which will show where the fire signal has come from.

The fire service are able to access all areas at St. Anne’s Quarter by using the fobs in the red boxes outside the buildings.

Are the fire alarms being enhanced in all buildings? Will you need access to all homes to complete this work?

As you’re aware, we’ve changed the fire strategy for all buildings to full evacuation. To support this change, we’re currently requesting access to all homes at St. Anne’s Quarter to install sounders and we plan to return to install additional detection in every home. We’ll contact you nearer the time to provide more information on these works and we’ll make sure we give you plenty of notice to arrange access for a convenient date and time.

Can you do anything to minimise noise from the extraction system?

When the alarm panel activates, the extraction system starts to remove any smoke from the car park. When CCSS attends to silence the alarm, they’ll also reset the extraction system, although it may continue to run for a short period of time after being reset.

If the extraction system can’t be reset for any reason, the manufacturer is called out to St. Anne’s Quarter to resolve this. We appreciate that the noise from the extraction system will continue to cause a disturbance for some customers under these circumstances and we’re speaking to the manufacturer to look at whether they’re able to shorten their response times.

We’re also looking into whether we can make any changes to the system so we can manage the works with our contractors rather than the manufacturer. However this may not be a possibility due to the complexity of the system.

Why haven’t we got a contractor located closer to St. Anne’s Quarter to reset the fire alarm system?

CCSS were appointed following a competitive tender process to manage all our fire safety equipment servicing and repairs. They have contractors working in all local areas and will attend, silence and reset panels within one hour from receiving a call.

We’re aware that there have been delays to CCSS receiving a call. When the alarm system’s activated, it automatically dials an alarm receiving centre which then calls the fire service. The alarm receiving centre has now been provided with a number for CCSS so they can report the alarm direct to CCSS after they’ve alerted the fire service. This helps to overcome any delays experienced by the previous process, where the alarm receiving centre notified Orbit rather than CCSS.

Does the fire service charge Orbit when they attend false alarms?

The fire service hasn’t charged for any call-outs to St Anne’s Quarter to-date. If we were to receive a charge for any call outs, this would not be passed onto customers.

After the fire alarm is activated and residents evacuate, who gives the ‘all clear’ for residents to return to their homes?

In the unlikely event of a fire, please leave the building immediately and move to the meeting point. The fire service will let you know when it’s safe to return to the building once they’ve arrived and carried out their checks.

Can residents silence the fire alarms?

Alarms should not be silenced by anyone other than competent professionals approved by us. If the alarm panel is silenced prematurely, it could put people’s lives at risk as residents who are in the process of evacuating may assume it’s safe to return to their homes when this is not the case.

It’s also important that when the panel has been silenced, it’s then fully reset and left in working order.

Only a trained engineer will have the knowledge to carry this out effectively.

How does the system work?

The fire alarm system consists of detectors within your home which have a link to the main communal panel, which can send signals of fire and receive signals of fire.

Will the system stop false alarms?

The system will not stop false alarms, but it should help lower them as we will be able to identify where issues are occurring and manage these more effectively using the data.

Where is the system going to be installed?

You will have a detector within every room in your home larger than 1m square, except for your bathroom. In addition, there is a module installed near your fuse board and a moveable control panel.

Will the system need removing upon remediation of the external wall?

No, the system can be disconnected from the main alarm system without coming back into your home. This would then become the detection system for your home only, supporting a stay put evacuation policy to a LD1 standard (the best level of domestic detection).

Is the system wireless?

Detectors which are currently within your flat will be replaced with a new detector using the existing cabling, all other detectors and control unit will be wireless. The only piece of equipment which cannot be wireless is the module installed near your fuse board. This module must be hard wired, but cabling/trunking will be kept to a minimum.

Where can the control panel sit?

We would recommend a standard position by your main entrance door. However, we can place this where you would like.

How do I test my detectors?

You press the “test” button on your control panel.

When will my installation take place?

We will reach out to you once we have a confirmed programme. You should receive approximately 3 weeks’ notice and by letter. We’ll also display information on your digital noticeboards.

How long will the appointments take for installation?

We anticipate the installation taking up to 2 hours per property.

What if I can’t make my appointment?

As the works are not optional, we will work with you to rearrange your appointment if you are not available at the time it is initially booked in.

What happens if I burn my toast?

On the control panel there is a silence button, you can press this to confirm that there is no fire.

What is the app and how does it work?

The app is downloadable on any smart device and it allows you to review and monitor your system. We will provide a handout with more information during the installation, and you will be able to register to use via the app via the Property Safety Team.

Is the EWS1 form invalid?

A Fire Risk Assessment to the external wall (FRAEW) is a more detailed assessment compared to an EWS1 form and the FRAEW has discovered issues that were not captured in the EWS1 assessment. Orbit’s view is that this new information means the EWS1 has been invalidated.

With no valid EWS1 currently available for your building, we understand the difficulties you may be facing if you want to remortgage, sell your home, or buy more shares in your home (‘staircasing’).

In December 2022, the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors (RICS) updated its guidance for valuers regarding external wall systems where there is no valid EWS1.

The guidance offers a way for valuations to take place where:

• Remedial work to the external cladding system has been identified
• It is clear how this will be funded (and costs will not be passed onto residents)
• Lenders have indicated their willingness to lend.

If you wish to remortgage, sell your home, or buy more shares in your home, we suggest that the information provided in this FAQs is presented as part of your discussions with lenders, along with the guidance on RICS website.

Please speak to our homeownership team if you need a letter for your solicitor or lender to confirm that the cost of the remedial works will not be passed onto you. We’re aware that, in some cases, solicitors are still requesting a copy of the original EWS1 form and we will of course provide this.

We’re committed to keeping you regularly updated with the latest information about your building and the remedial works. If you’ve changed your email address or mobile phone number since you moved into your home, please let us know so we can make sure we’ve got the right contact information for you. You can do this via the email address or telephone number provided below.

Please also let us know if you or any member of your household would not be able to evacuate using the stairs in the unlikely event of a fire so we can discuss this with you and make the fire service aware. You can contact us on 0800 678 1221 or email SpecialProjectsTeam@orbit.org.uk to provide this information.

Following the water outage on Sunday 28 April, we want to provide you with details of how the situation was resolved, along with confirmation of compensation that households at Austin House, Bartholomew Court and Hop Pole Yard will be receiving.

Firstly, we’re sorry for the inconvenience caused by the disruption to your water supply on Sunday 28 April. We’re grateful for your patience and understanding as we worked with our contractors throughout the day to understand the issue and restore the supply to your building.

When the issue was first reported to us, we requested that Anglian Water and our maintenance contractor MPS both attend initially. Anglian Water investigated and confirmed that the loss of supply was not due to anything that they were responsible for. MPS also sent a team to investigate, and they successfully restarted the pumps and restored the water supply by approximately 7.30pm.

We also requested that our specialist pump engineers attend to carry out a full review and service of the pumps later that evening. We suspect that the pumps had dried out following a wider water outage in the early hours of Sunday morning, and this had led to them short-circuiting. We’re continuing to look into this to reduce the likelihood of the issue recurring.

During the afternoon of the outage, we ordered bottled water as a contingency measure, and this was delivered to St. Anne’s Quarter later in the evening. Members of our team also visited St. Anne’s Quarter to provide any necessary support and answer any questions you had.

Compensation

Our complaints resolution policy sets out the situations where we pay compensation, and our compensation calculator determines the amount. Compensation for loss of water is usually awarded at £5 per day. It’s important that we also recognise the inconvenience and disruption you experienced, and that the compensation covers any expenses you might have incurred – such as the cost of bottled water that you may have purchased. We’ll therefore be providing a £40 Love2Shop voucher to residents at Austin House, Bartholomew Court and Hop Pole Yard.

You’ll receive this regardless of whether or not you make a complaint. An e-voucher will be sent to you via email in the next 10 working days. If we don’t have an email address for you, you’ll receive the voucher via post. Thank you again for your patience and understanding. If you’ve got any questions or concerns, please call 0800 678 1221 and we will do our best to help.