Glovers Court apartments firm to be dragged into court on four charges over unsafe flats

35 Glovers Court remains empty in Glovers Court in Preston city centre Pic: Blog Preston

Developers behind a block of flats branded unsafe in the centre of Preston are to face a court hearing.

Blog Preston can reveal Glovers Court Limited is being taken to court by the Health and Safety Executive.

Four charges have been brought against the firm for breaching building regulations and ignoring improvement notices served on them by the government agency.

Fire safety concerns about the block of 34 apartments at 35 Glovers Court were raised and have meant buyers of the flats have been left in limbo and unable to move in.

Blog Preston reported in January last year how all tenants and residents were forced to move out, or not allowed to move in, after visits were made in summer 2023 to find multiple safety breaches were observed according to health and safety officers.

The charges in full:

Between 01/10/2022 & 06/11/2023 – S.33(1)(c) HSWA 1974 by breaching Regulation 11(1) Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015.
On or before 26/05/2023 – S.33(1)(c) HSWA 1974 by breaching Regulation 13(1) Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015.
Between 01/09/2023 and 07/11/2023 – S.33(1)(g) HSWA 1974 – contravene requirement imposed by Improvement Notice.
Between 01/06/2023 and 07/11/2023 – S.33(1)(g) HSWA 1974 – contravene prohibition imposed by Prohibition Notice.

The Altrincham-based firm have denied the allegations of breaching construction regulations and the case is set to be heard at Preston Magistrates’ Court in June.

Planning approval for the scheme, which was originally due to be 50 flats, was granted in 2018. Preston City Council confirmed the apartment block remained incomplete and unsafe for tenants or flat-owners to move into.

There was no sign of work on the 35 Glovers Court site when Blog Preston visited Pic: Blog Preston

Chris Hayward, director of development and housing at the city council, told Blog Preston: “The prohibition notice served by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service remains in force as the development was deemed to be unsafe and incomplete. The Building Regulation Approval for this development was signed off by a private Approved Inspector and not the Council.

“It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that the development is safe, working with their Approved Inspector.”

Blog Preston has spoken to a number of leaseholders who are awaiting completion of the building to either move in or let the flats they purchased out.

In some cases they’ve already paid thousands of pounds in mortgage payments, and deposits, for flats which are uninhabitable as it stands.

Blog Preston has contacted Glovers Court Limited – which is listed on Companies House as being subject to ‘an active proposal to strike off’ – for comment. We have also contacted Fortis Developments who are understood to be behind the scheme and Glovers Court firm. We received no response by time of publication.

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