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Houses damaged in deadly crane collapse are owned by housing association
The houses damaged in a deadly crane collapse in east London yesterday afternoon are owned by a housing association, Inside Housing has learned.
Title deeds obtained from HM Land Registry show that the properties belong to 2,600-home Gateway Housing Association.
One person died and four people were injured after the 20-metre crane collapsed at Swan Housing Association’s Watts Grove development site in Bow, crashing onto a partially built block of flats and two neighbouring terraced houses.
A construction worker remains in a critical condition in hospital.
The victim has been named by her family as 85-year-old June Harvey. She was found on the first floor of one of the houses hit by the crane and confirmed dead at the scene.
At least one of the houses appears to have been partially destroyed by the crane’s impact on the roof.
A police cordon is in place around the area and officers from the London Fire Brigade, the Health and Safety Executive and Tower Hamlets Council’s building control department are on the scene.
In a statement on the association’s website, Kate Dodsworth, chief executive of Gateway Housing Association said: “On Wednesday 8 July 2020, a crane from a neighbouring development site in Bow, East London collapsed onto properties including homes owned by Gateway Housing Association in Compton Close.
“Tragically, a person lost their life and four people were injured.
“Everyone at Gateway is shocked and saddened by this terrible accident. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of the deceased. We very much hope those injured make a speedy and full recovery.
“A number of residents were evacuated to safety and our team continues to work with London Borough of Tower Hamlets to support people throughout this difficult time.”
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Tower Hamlets Council said this morning that nearly 100 people from 26 households have been temporarily rehoused in hotel accommodation following the incident.
According to Land Registry information, Gateway Housing Association owns all the homes in Compton Close, the cul de sac where the crane fell.
Swan has promised to be transparent and fully support investigations into the collapse. When Inside Housing attended the scene this morning there were a number of Health and Safety Executive staff members at the site.
The 10,000-home landlord’s website said the flats for the scheme were constructed in its modular factory using cross-laminated timber, before being assembled onsite in buildings of up to six storeys.
Architect Waugh Thistleton’s website described it as the UK’s first mid-rise cross-laminated timber development scheme. The firm promised that the scheme would be built in 50% of the time it would take for traditional building.
Planning documents said the site would be “served by mobile cranes of various sizes throughout the construction phase”.
Switzerland-headquarted firm Wolffkran has confirmed that it owned the crane involved and that two of its employees are among those in hospital.
It said the model of crane, a Wolff 355 B, is one of its “most tried-and-tested cranes, reliable in operation worldwide and currently in operation on 18 sites across the UK”.
This specific crane was 10 years old and had been fully erected a day before the collapse, it added.
Update: at 15.57pm 09/07/20 a comment from Kate Dodsworth was added to the story.
