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Work to clear out unsafe tower block begins

Alice CunninghamSuffolk
News imageContributed An open plan living and kitchen area that is covered in discarded items like clothing, letters, kitchen items and more.Contributed
Suffolk Clearance has started work to remove items left behind inside Cardinal Lofts

Work to clear out an empty tower block ahead of its potential demolition has started.

Cardinal Lofts in Ipswich was evacuated in 2023 after a fire service report deemed it unsafe.

The freeholder of the building, Grey GR, submitted an application to Ipswich Borough Council to knock the building down. That proposal is due to be decided upon.

Matthew Schacht, 31, owner of Suffolk Clearance Group which has been contracted to clear out 60 of the 80 flats, said items such as clothing, sofas, mattresses and more had been left behind.

News imageMartin Barber/BBC A view from the ground looking up at the Cardinal Lofts block. It is a 10-storey building. Lower floors have large windows which have rows of square window frames. The building's lower storeys are orange. Three storeys at the very top are grey.Martin Barber/BBC
Cardinal Lofts in Ipswich has been vacant since 2023 when it was evacuated on safety grounds

Schacht and his team started work in the building on Monday.

Photos from inside the flats show huge amounts of clothing, household items and more left behind by the previous residents and some people who subsequently broke into the building.

"For now we're preparing all of the things like sofas, mattresses, beds, all of the clothes, anything like that, is all being processed," Schacht explained.

"Anything that can be reused will be, but a lot of it has been sitting here a long time and there is quite a lot of mould, so not a lot of things can be saved, but we will try our best."

News imageContributed A white wall where thick mould has grown over the walls.Contributed
Since the property was left vacant some mould has grown in areas
News imageContributed A man wearing a black hard helmet, orange hi-vis and black T-shirt takes a selfie style image and smiles. He stands in front of a building. Contributed
Matthew Schacht expected the work to be completed well within the next month

The BBC understands that negotiations have been ongoing with the leaseholders of the other flats in the 10-storey building.

Grey GR previously said it would cost too much to repair the building and therefore demolition was "the only reasonable and responsible course of action to remove the existing safety risks and enable the future redevelopment of the site".

The Suffolk Clearance team is making use of personal protective equipment such as masks and helmets and said no road closures were needed for the work.

News imageContributed An open plan living and kitchen area. The walls are painted blue and white. There are items like clothing discarded across the floor and sofas. Some of the cupboard doors have been left open in the kitchen area.Contributed
A decision over the future of the building is yet to be made

"People have been given a chance to come and get their belongings," Schacht continued.

"It's just basically anything that's left is stuff that people don't want, so there's not really anything of value.

"I think if there was anything of value, it would've already been taken by the people that have been breaking into the building."

Schacht added that he expected the work to be completed well within the next month.

News imageContributed A kitchen area that with a former tenants items left behind all over the work surfaces and a table. Cupboard doors are open and there are some items on the floor. Contributed
Suffolk Clearance is working in 60 of the 80 flats inside the building

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