The notorious Imperial Apartments in Hengrove are back in the spotlight after a Bristol mum with a toddler has raised concerns over living conditions in the building. These include an intermittent water supply, as well as hygiene after she came across human excrement in a corridor.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she has spent the past week trying to get a response from the building’s management about the water supply. She said: “The water keeps going off pretty much every day.”
“My two-year-old, who is autistic, got sick all over himself late at night and I wanted to bath him, but there was no water.” She said she asked the security guard about the water supply going off but got no response.
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She added: “There has been poo in the corridor, as well as finding used condoms and empty cocaine bags outside. It's such a concern as my son picks up everything and puts it in his mouth.” She said she had called the building’s management Caridon Property Services nearly every day this week.
“They make excuse after excuse, it’s like talking to a brick wall. I spent the whole of Wednesday crying, I’m not sleeping and I hate being in this building,” she said.
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She confirmed that residents were offered 500ml bottles of water and that on Wednesday afternoon, the water was switched off after residents were notified that problems with the supply were being investigated. But she added residents received very short notice about the water being shut off.
Imperial Apartments is a former an office block that was converted into 465 housing units and opened in 2020. In 2022 concerns were raised by the media and local councillors over the suitability of the block to house families with children with Bristol mayor, Marvin Rees announcing a pause while a review took place.
Between February and May 2022, police were called to the site 113 times in the four months. This means officers were called to the site 28 times to the site each month which means almost daily.
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The council’s review found that the flats were suitable for families with children in June 2022. The review, which found Caridon's annual gross income from the site was £4.1m, had 18 recommendations after assessing the physical condition of accommodation, affordability, overcrowding and risk of violence from any person.
The woman said there were many families living in the block. This, she said, included new-born babies and 'a lot of young children'.
A spokesperson for Caridon commented: “We are aware of the issue with the water supply at Imperial Apartments, which has been intermittent since the start of the week. We fully sympathise with all the residents affected by this problem, which unfortunately has been beyond our control.
“Staff have been working tirelessly around the clock to source freshwater bottles for all residents, and have been liaising with the source of the problem, local authorities and specialist repair contractors to ensure the issue is fully resolved as a matter of urgency. We have communicated progress transparently with all residents daily.”
Bristol City Council did not respond to a request for comment. Bristol City Council said previously that as Imperial Apartments was a privately managed block, repairs and maintenance were the sole responsibility of the landlord.
