Above: The galvanised guttering system installed in 1975 had a huge capacity in relation to normal rainfall. But it also had a design flaw, the inside wall was lower than the outside wall. So when failing to drain an inundation the overflow was directed into the building.

The Flood

On August 31 2020, the south coast of England was hit with a torrential downpour. The inundation overwhelmed the guttering system at Bramshaw and overflowed the rear wall of the gutter and flooded into the building.

When we arrived there was up to 30mm of flood water on all the floors which ruined the wooden and laminate dance floors in tha main hall and the studio.

The building maintenance and upkeep is managed by The Bramshaw Trust and Steve is a Trustee so he has been able to keep up-to-date with the insurance claim and refurbishment progress (which has been very, very slow.)

The flood was the last financial straw for Tango UK and we relinquished the lease on the dance studio in Autumn 2020. Tango events will be run in the main hall when the hall reopens. Sadly, our week night classes will not continue.

We hope to restart tango events when the works are completed in mid-December.

The schedule of works costing in excess of £150,000

Work completed so far (October 2021)

• Dry out the building
• Remove all the damaged floors
• Remove all the damaged ceilings
• Remove all lighting and wiring
• Remove kitchen equipment
• Hire storage container for all fixtures
• Asbestos found - quarantine building
• Remove asbestos, release quarantine
• Prepare floors with DPC and skim
• More asbestos found, quarantine etc
• 6 week delay over asbestos removal
• New contractor found, asbestos sorted
• Electrician finds building standards problem in wiring and recommends update...
• Insurance deems above as betterment...
• 5 week delay until insurers agree to fix.
• Supply chain delays due to C19 and Brexit
• Suspended ceilings installed
• Lighting first fix
• Laminate floor to studio installed
• Floor rejected as substandard
• Insulation installed in ceiling void
• Lighting and electrics second fix starts

Work yet to be undertaken

• Recommission ground source heat pump
• Complete painting and decorating throughout
• Recommission and test fire alarm system
• Reinstall kitchen equipment
• New patio door installed
• New sprung maple floor installed
• Electrician second fix completed
• Decorators paint whole build interior
• Vinyl floors installed to all corridors etc
• New toilet fixtures and plumbing
• Move fixtures from storage back into hall
• Sign off building works as completed

(Project deadline for completion is 3rd week of December)