You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Catalyst tenants forced to move out over fire safety issues in London block
Tenants at a Catalyst-owned block in London will be moved out of their homes after the housing association found a series of fire safety issues with the building.
The residents of the 50 homes at the Merle Court development in South Kilburn were told last month that they would be moved out of the seven-storey block so that work to rectify a series of fire safety issues could begin.
The association said the work could take up to two years and there is no guarantee residents will be able to move back when it is completed.
Following the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, aluminium composite material (ACM) was discovered on the outside of Merle Court, alongside other fire safety issues.
Since then safety measures have been put in place to ensure residents are able to live in the block, including a 24/7 waking watch, additional fire-stopping work and replacing some of the cladding around the entrance.
However, Catalyst said that changes to building regulations brought in by the government in December “significantly increased” the amount of work needed on Merle Court.
READ MORE
In December housing secretary James Brokenshire changed building regulations to include an outright ban on combustible cladding and insulation.
The work at Merle Court will now include removal and replacement of the block’s brickwork and cladding to enable Catalyst to “rectify defects, replace insulation and undertake other works”.
Other works include replacing high-pressure laminate cladding on some of the building’s walls, installing fire breaks and changing the insulation throughout the building.
The association said that the nature and timescales involved meant it would be too disruptive for residents to continue living in their homes and that they would need to move out.
Residents have already raised concerns about the rehousing process.
Abdirazak Abdi, a Kilburn councillor, told Inside Housing: “The residents are concerned and rightly so. We are also worried they will not be rehoused locally.”
The association is currently looking at an offer to residents that is expected to be approved by its board this month, but has admitted it could take up to 18 months to move tenants out so work can start.
As part of the outline offer to rental tenants, Catalyst has said it will meet with tenants to work out preferences and has promised to try to permanently rehouse tenants where possible so that they only have to move once.
Residents will also be paid £6,300 as part of the government’s statutory Home Loss payment, while moving costs will also be covered by the association.
For shared owners living in the block, Catalyst will offer to buy back all shared owners’ homes at the current market value. Shared owners will also be given the option to buy another Catalyst property.
It is the second Catalyst block found to have fire safety issues that need to be rectified. The association owns another block in Brent, Dan Court in Park Royal, which has ACM cladding. Work is due to begin on the block soon but residents will not be required to move out, it is understood.
A spokesperson for Catalyst said: “After extensive and thorough investigations into the construction of the block it became clear that there was a huge amount of work to be done beyond simply replacing the ACM cladding that would cause significant disturbance to those living there, and some damage to flats internally.
“While we recognise that we could have acted more quickly, the complexity and extensive nature of the remedial works required firm assurance that designs and materials would be compliant with the anticipated change in regulations. Despite this, we followed the fire authority guidance to ensure residents remain safe at all times as soon as we confirmed the ACM cladding was non-compliant.
“We have not taken the decision to rehouse everyone lightly; it has taken time to explore every option available and to arrive at the right decision.
“Over recent months we have pulled together a new project group that meets weekly and is chaired by a member of our executive team and we have made a firm commitment to communicate more clearly and regularly with residents.”
The news comes as an increasing number of housing associations have found fire safety issues across the high-rise blocks they own. Last month Elaine Bailey, chief executive of Hyde, said the association found fire safety issues in all 86 of its tower blocks following post-Grenfell inspections.
