Residents of Boswell Court, a block of flats in Bedford, England, have claimed that their Christmas celebrations have been ruined after being told by housing association BPHA that they could not have a plastic tree in their foyer unless a caretaker is present. The housing association claimed that it is following the fire service’s advice to keep communal areas in high-rise buildings clear to avoid obstruction in the event of a fire. Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue has denied issuing such advice.
Michel Haywood, who has lived in Boswell Court for the last 14 years, used to enjoy the foyer Christmas tree, but this year the tree was removed when the caretaker finished work and brought back when they started work the next day. Mr. Haywood said that “some authority has come along and said you can’t do this, it’s dangerous, you can only put it up and take it down when the caretaker is there. It’s bah-humbug, it’s going to spoil Christmas.” Maria Knott, another resident, said that “it looks lovely here… I don’t agree with them having to take it out each night.”
A spokeswoman for BPHA said that the Building Safety Act 2022 recommends “a zero tolerance policy to any objects in communal areas,” meaning that the Christmas tree that had been on display in previous years can now only be in the communal area when the caretaker is on site. The housing association spokeswoman added that “we appreciate this might have caused some disappointment to residents.” Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue said that they had not received a request for advice from BPHA about a Christmas tree at any of their premises. The fire service added that there is a duty on the responsible person for the building to reduce the risk to persons from fire to as low as is reasonably practicable.
Residents of Boswell Court are not alone in facing restrictions or bans on decorations in communal areas. In December 2020, The Guardian reported that councils in the UK had forbidden Christmas decorations in communal areas on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Kate Chappell, an urban planner at the Royal Town Planning Institute, suggested that councils should consider “what wellbeing benefits having communal decorations could bring, in a year where people have been separated from family and friends more than ever before.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More