Council to consider demolishing blocks due to £5.5m fire safety bill

The council said with leaseholders facing a major works bill of over £110,000, the “substantial cost of further improvement works does not provide value for money” and it would be “more cost effective to move people out and demolish the buildings”. 

It also said the work would also cause “huge upheaval”, with all residents having to move out while it was carried out.

Since December 2020, following recommendations from the fire service, Harlow Council has implemented a range of safety measures to the blocks, including a walking watch at a cost of £4,000 per week. 

It also installed a full fire detection system, closed the underground car park, improved non-recycling chutes, and built new stores for recycling bins.

Further intrusive investigations of the buildings were undertaken as homes became vacant, which revealed that the external wall system does not provide adequate fire protection. 

Investigations also found that most structures in the building do not have the right compartmentation to stop the spread of fire. This means the entire wall system and structure would need upgrading. 

The council said the issue is further complicated by asbestos in the walls, which would require removal during works. It added that although the works would contribute to further improving fire safety, the waking watch and closure of the car park may have to remain in place permanently.

A report recommending the demolition of both blocks will be considered by the Harlow Council’s cabinet on 15 February 2024. 

The council said that if the report is approved, tenants and leaseholders will receive support before and during the process of moving out, which would be carried out over several months. 

Tenants would be given the highest priority band for other council homes and receive financial compensation, and leaseholders would be fully compensated so they can buy or rent another home, the local authority said. 

Dan Swords, leader of Harlow Council, said: “I know this news has come as a shock to the residents who face the unsettling prospect of being moved permanently out of their homes. 

“Despite the efforts of the council to make improvements, further advice from the fire service, the spiralling costs and detailed building work to meet the satisfaction of the fire service’s enforcement notice, we have little alternative but to consider the demolition of both blocks. 

“I am sorry that we have had to deliver this news to those residents who live in those blocks. I appreciate that this is the most difficult and unsettling time for them.”

The costs and who is responsible for remediation work under the government’s new building safety regime was debated and tested as part of a court case that concluded last month.

Leaseholders hailed the tribunal ruling as a “glimmer of hope” after the owner of London’s Olympic Park was ordered to pay around £18m to fix fire safety issues at the Stratford site, in a judgment that is likely to have a “profound” impact on the sector.