Homes obliterated in the fire which tore through a city centre block will be rebuilt “as soon as possible” with the same timber-framed construction as the originals, the Gazette can reveal.

Owners of the devastated tannery terrace plan to fill the gaping hole left by the blaze with identical flats and houses within six to 12 months.

Miraculously, no one was hurt in the fire but up to 45 properties were damaged and in many cases completely destroyed.

Many families lost their homes and possessions in a matter of hours as flames ripped through the upper floors of the terrace on Creine Mill Lane North.

Town and Country Housing, which owns the properties, said displaced residents would be offered first refusal.

But it admitted it is planning like-for-like housing with the wood-framed building method the “preferred option”.

It also said Bellway Homes, which put up the original flats 10 years ago, would not be involved in the rebuild.

Development director Colin Lissenden said: “Town & Country Housing is in the process of selecting a new construction partner and is aiming to be back on site in the next three months.

“We intend to rebuild the scheme as it was and as we have all the existing designs and the ground works are already complete. We estimate the build to take a further 12 months.”

Revised figures show that six properties – a mixture of flats and town houses – have been or will be completely torn down, while a further 10 are scheduled for partial demolition.

A total of 14 households have been displaced by the blaze, which onlookers described as having ripped through the block at frightening speed.

Paul Flaherty, assistant director at Kent Fire and Rescue Service, said at the time: “The building is a timber-framed construction and so the fire was able to spread quickly among the frame voids.

“This meant it was a difficult fire to fight in the early stages.”

Fire investigators are still looking into the cause and spread of the blaze, which is thought to have started in a boiler in an airing cupboard.

Sandra Michel, spokesman for the fire service, said: “The investigation into the cause of the Canterbury tannery fire is ongoing.

“This will involve a number of different organisations and this is likely to take several weeks before any conclusions on the cause of the fire are reached.”

Westgate ward’s Cllr Michael Dixey (Lib Dem) said rebuilding the flats so they were identical, inside and out, would be a mistake.

“I would be up on the barricades,” he said. “That, to me, would be totally unacceptable.

“If this fire had happened at 2am, it would have been a much more disastrous outcome.

“It appears that the building was not safe but until we get the report we do not know.”

Cllr Dixey, who is a chartered engineer, said: “There are two main issues. Did it meet the building regulations? Probably, yes. Are the building regulations, which are set nationally, fit for purpose?

“Before we get the report from the fire service, it’s very difficult to jump to any conclusions.

“If they mean like-for-like design and everything, I would say they are premature to say that. But they might mean it will look the same.”

The Gazette put a number of questions to Bellway Homes, the Newcastle-based company which started redeveloping the former St Mildred’s Tannery site into a 416-home complex 10 years ago.

Bellway had yet to respond to questions concerning the construction methods it used, and whether any insurance or legal claims have been lodged against it.

The company said: "The affected block was constructed to all applicable building regulations at the time of development and was subject to building control inspections during construction."

Town and Country, which bought the development from Bellway, said “investigations were ongoing”, when asked whether it was considering any such claims.

Meanwhile, Julian Brazier is demanding answers from the authority which passed building regulations for Canterbury’s tannery development 10 years ago.

Mr Brazier, member of parliament for Canterbury and Whitstable, has suggested the design of the flats and houses escalated the spread of the blaze.

He has fired off a letter to Lewis Sidnick, head of corporate and external affairs at the National House Building Council (NHBC).

The organisation is the UK’s largest single approved inspector for building regulations.
Mr Brazier wrote: “You will be very well aware of the dreadful events that happened last weekend.

“I understand that the buildings on the site, constructed by Bellway Homes starting in 2005, were passed by yourselves.

“There has been no suggestion that there was shoddy building. The problem appears to have arisen from the design.

“My concern is that, at a time when building regulations are more prescriptive than ever on issues like energy saving, the basic requirement to make the building resilient to fire appears to have been lost sight of.”

Town and Country Housing, the owner of the development, planned to rebuild the homes destroyed “as soon as possible”, with the original wood-framed construction method the “preferred option”.

Responding to the revelation, Mr Brazier said: “I want to establish what account they are taking of lessons from the fire.”

The blaze started at 2pm in a utility room of one of the flats, with fire crews saying the building’s wood-framed construction allowed it to spread rapidly among the frame voids.
Mr Brazier said the NHBC needed to urgently review using this method of construction in future buildings.

His letter added: “In one important respect, the design worked – there was no loss of life because of the construction on exits.”

Donations have poured in to the appeal set up to help those left homeless after the fire.

More than 100 people, businesses and charities have pledged their support to help raise £10,000 in a month.

The appeal was set up by the Kentish Gazette in the wake of the fire, which ripped through the building on July 4.

Among those left homeless was mum-of-four Colette Scott, whose children were left with just the clothes on their backs.

It was the second tragedy to hit the 34-year-old in recent years, having lost her fiance Callum Osborn in a tragic building site accident in 2011.

She said: “I’ve lost everything. All the children’s clothes and toys are gone. We’ve been left with what we were wearing.”

The home of Sarah Horton, 28, and Dan Berry, 33, is likely to be demolished after the damage caused by the fire.

Recalling the harrowing aftermath of the blaze, Dan said: “People were screaming outside and children were crying. They’d been evacuated and were watching their homes burn.”

The Gazette launched its appeal last Tuesday and has been overwhelmed by the support from its generous readers, with the total raised already closing in on £4,000.

Pledging £20, an anonymous donor added: “Thinking of those who lost everything. Money is not memories but I hope it can help make new ones.”

The Gazette has also asked many prominent businesses in the city to lend their support to the appeal.

City centre fast food restaurant McDonald’s and the Fenwick department store have both made generous donations, while the Canterbury Forest of Blean Rotary Club pledged an incredible £500.

Club president Bryan Collings said: “We raise most of our money for charity locally and it is thanks to the generosity of the people of Canterbury and Whitstable that we are able to make this donation of £500 to the Tannery Appeal, to help those unfortunate families who lost their homes so tragically in last week’s devastating fire.”

City nightspot Club Chemistry, owned by councillor Louise Jones, made a £250 donation this week.

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