New England House reopened to its tenants today after being shut over the weekend so the necessary fire safety mitigations could be put in place.
Brighton and Hove City Council has apologised to the traders affected. It said it was forced to close the building at short notice after a fire safety report uncovered “intolerable” safety risks.
Businesses in the building, in New England Street, Brighton, said they were losing thousands of pounds in revenue every day as the busy Christmas period looms.
One man estimated that the building could have haemorrhaged more than £250,000 over the three-day closure.
Experienced fire wardens are now in the building (Image: The Argus) To be able to reopen and ensure the safety of everyone using the building, the council has put in place additional safety measures.
There are now experienced fire wardens in the building and a system for signing in and out will be put in place.
For the foreseeable future the opening hours of New England House will be 7am until 11pm.
An urgent meeting with the building’s tenants was held on Monday to discuss the findings of the fire engineer’s report and the actions needed.
Councillor Jacob Taylor, cabinet member for finance and city regeneration, said: “I want to offer a genuine apology to the businesses, staff and families impacted by the temporary closure of New England House over the weekend.
“I know this is a nightmare for tenants, particularly in the run up to Christmas for the many local creative industries based at New England House.
“Closing the building at short notice was not a decision we wanted to take but based on safety and risk to life it as the right one to take. The new information in the fire engineer’s report listed the risk as intolerable – the highest risk to a building.
“We’ve put in place short term mitigations to allow businesses to return and we’re working out the best longer term fire prevention measures for the building.”
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