It has been three weeks since the evacuation at Cardinal Lofts happened, and the future of the residents is still uncertain.
Grey GR, the managing company of the building, confirmed that the arranged temporary accommodation has been extended until January next year.
The evacuated residents will probably spend Christmas away from their homes.
Alex Dickin, a resident of Cardinal Lofts and founder of Ipswich Cladiators, said that another fire risk assessment was conducted last Thursday, leaving the resident anxious over the results.
He added: “During the visit, we witnessed six fire wardens patrolling the lower floors, which have not been evacuated but still require a 24/7 waking watch.
“It was also shocking to see how floors seven and eight have been blocked from access with temporary padlocked boards installed.
“The visit highlighted that fire safety is not the only issue facing residents of Cardinal Lofts.”
The residents have also pointed out the poor maintenance of the former swimming pool, which has been left in a state of disrepair since 2018.
Ipswich MP Tom Hunt said that Cardinal Lofts residents need some "certainty" in regard to their living situation.
He added: “We need to have some certainty as to what works they are going to carry out to make the building safe and what's the time scale.
“I really don’t know how this whole situation has been allowed to happen.
“It seems to me that the issues with the ventilation system have been known for a number of years.”
Mr Hunt said he received correspondence from his constituents reporting about the issue in January and July 2021.
He added: “The managing agent for the building was aware that there are issues with the ventilation system.
“Yet, we've ended up in this situation with residents being evacuated at 10 pm and spending a night in a sports hall.
“I don't know why this has been allowed to happen. Why didn’t they get on with the work then?
“There are serious questions to be answered, and I hope that the Secretary of State will join me in demanding those answers.”
The Grey GR spokesperson said: "We have completed the updated Fire Risk Assessments (FRA) and are awaiting the results, which are expected by the end of this week.
"Whilst awaiting the FRA and results, our remediation project team have developed draft remediation plans.
"These plans, and expected timelines, will be finalised once we have received the outcome of the FRA, so that we can start remediation works as soon as possible.
"We are working to return residents to their homes as soon as possible, and we continue to update residents and leaseholders as regularly as we can."
Cardinal Lofts residents are expecting further visits this week.
A spokesperson for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said: “Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service remains committed to ensuring the safety of all Cardinal Lofts residents and, as such, asked the Responsible Persons for the building to undertake a revised Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) to identify fire safety deficiencies and how to mitigate this risk.
“We were advised that the FRA would be provided by Monday, November 21 but are yet to receive this as of Thursday, December 8.
“It is frustrating for everyone involved that the Responsible Persons for Cardinal Lofts have not been able to produce the FRA yet, despite our advice that this should be a priority.
“We will continue to ask that the FRA is provided as a matter of urgency to enable us to work with the Responsible Persons and ensure that they implement any recommended control measures as soon as possible.”
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