Fire safety work at The Cotton Mill, Manchester

The Cotton Mill (Manchester) is a pretty generic name for a former (you guessed it) cotton mill on Samuel Ogden Street, Manchester. It sits on the corner of Whitworth Street, a seminal road that runs from London Road, at Piccadilly, right down to Oxford Road (now called a Corridor).

Block Compliance Ltd recently carried out three major strands of a project there:

Fire Risk Assessments
Fire Door Surveys
Compartmentation Surveys

The history of “The Cotton Mill” at 7 Samuel Ogden Street is obscure – though impressive in its own right, it does’t have the history and research of places like Ducie Street Warehouse, a former cotton bale mill, now luxurious bar and aparthotel.

Ducie Street Warehouse, Manchester

Ducie Street Warehouse was once of three identical mills that sat at the end of the Ashton Canal, close to Manchester Piccadilly, but The Cotton Mill does share many external and internal design features: its distinctive period windows, its brickwork, that both have been restored and exposed internally and externally.

Both these two examples are now commercial / residential buildings for people to live and work in and because of their new purposes with occupants sleeping and working there, they have new fire protection laws, enshrined in the Building Safety Act of 2022.

Think about it.

These Victorian mills and warehouses, that proliferate in many towns and cities, not just Manchester, but also London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford were designed as places to work, not reside.

And since their purposes have changed so has the responsibility on developers, contractors, architects, passive fire protection advisors, etc.

Human rights enshrined in law

People live or stay in new and old builds. They have a human right for protection should a fire break out. They have a right to know that if a lift fails in the event of a fire, the stairwell will form a safe escape route. They know that if an alarmed emergency door is opened, the fire service is triggered automatically. They need to rest easy in the knowledge that fire doors and fire escapes will contain any blaze and that their lives and possessions will be safeguarded.

You see, we see, in major conurbations, how new tower blocks start their lives. They begin with a central lift shaft, its concrete edifice sprouting from the ground. That lift shaft is then enveloped and encased by apartments, homes, office spaces, businesses. Not one new tall building begins a physical life with the rooms – without exception, it seems, all begin with the lift shaft.

In an existing build, like The Cotton Mill Manchester, or the iconic Battersea Power Station, conversion and adaptation takes place with comfort and safety at the forefront.

What Block Compliance Ltd does:

Our job at Block Compliance Ltd, with its two bases in the north and south of England, is not to design buildings, is not to manufacture fire doors, is not to construct or convert spaces into homes and businesses.

No.

Our job is to make sure people’s lives are protected in the event of fire and that fire doors, fire risk assessments are comprehensive and up to date, fit for purpose and able to not only withstand fire, but prevent litigation to save livelihoods and lives.

New car safety

When you buy a new car, for example, you don’t expect to crash it, you don’t expect to have someone hit it from behind, the sides, the front. But if it does happen, you know, without testing it, that modern cars have airbags, crumple zones and reinforced side impact bars. Cars have MOTs annually to check them over and ensure they’re fit for the road. Drivers have to pass tests. Speed cameras and Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras check driver behaviour.

There is a whole systemic safety structure built into driving on public roads, that is replicated, in other ways, in buildings.

Happy clients

Block Compliance Ltd have a huge list of satisfied clients, like those at Velvet House, that have used our services and, rather than just vaguely listing them, we have decided to broadcast these in blogs, vlogs, photos across our new website and fledgling social media channels.

If you need advice about buildings and fire safety across the UK, contact us today for an initial consultation.

Share this post too with your professional network who could be interested in our four primary safety services.

A premier building fire safety company

At Block Compliance, we pride ourselves on being a premier building fire safety company with extensive industry experience. Our mission is to uphold the highest standards of safety and compliance.

Committed to innovation, we consistently strive to exceed market expectations while ensuring full adherence to all building safety regulations. Our expertise and forward-thinking approach establish us as a trusted partner in protecting both properties and lives.