Birmingham City Council | A company has been prosecuted for failing to comply with an Improvement Notice relating to fire safety measures, the first West Midlands local authority to do so.
Freehold Managers (Nominees) Limited, the company responsible for Centenary Plaza on Holliday Street, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an Improvement Notice.
The prosecution is significant because it is only the second such prosecution by a local authority using powers provided under the Housing Act 2004, and the first in the West Midlands.
Birmingham City Council pursued legal action using these powers after Freehold Managers (Nominees) Limited, based at 250 Bishopsgate, London, failed to undertake the necessary improvement works required to make the building safe, as detailed in the Improvement Notice issued by the council on 5 September 2023.
The Improvement Notice mandated improvements, including the repair of fire doors, improvements to emergency lighting, and the provision of suitable means of escape from the building, in the event of a fire.
During sentencing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, a fine of £50,000 was imposed on the business, considering its early guilty plea, the company’s financial position, and the council’s legal costs.
After the Grenfell Tower fire, the council formed a team of specialist officers to address fire safety in high-rise buildings, funded by a UK Government grant. This is the first such prosecution from the team, and the second in the country.
