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Residents return after London tower block with crack found ‘structurally sound’
Nearly all residents of a 19-storey London tower block which developed a crack have returned home after an assessment found the building was “structurally sound”.
Firefighters were called last Thursday night to The Combe block on the Regent’s Park Estate after a resident reported a “loud noise” in the Camden Council-owned building.
After finding a crack in the wall of a flat on the ninth floor, structural engineers were called to assess the damage, the council said in a statement.
It added that later that evening, it decided together with the London Fire Brigade to evacuate all 70 households in the 1950s block, which is home to a mix of tenants and leaseholders.
Around 150 residents were evacuated and 50 spent the night in a temporary rest centre set up in Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre.
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However further assessments by surveyors from Wates’ dangerous structures team found that the block was “structurally sound”, the council said. The crack was found to be on an internal, non-load-bearing wall, which does not affect the integrity of the building.
Nearly all residents were told they could return home on Friday evening, apart from three households who have to wait for additional monitoring on their homes this week. They include the flat where the crack was found and the flats immediately above and below this flat.
These residents have been contacted directly by the council and have been offered accommodation and support, the council said.
Speaking on Friday, Richard Olszewski, leader of Camden Council, said: “The Wates report shows the building is safe and the London Fire Brigade agree with our assessment.
“We had to take action to ensure residents were safe while we fully investigated this matter and I’m grateful for the patience and co-operation residents have shown over the last 24 hours. We have a small amount of repair work to do within the block now, which we will now concentrate on to ensure the three remaining households can come home.”
Meanwhile, earlier this month, plans were submitted to redevelop the site of a tower block owned by Clarion that was evacuated due to safety concerns.
The proposals, submitted by HTA Design on behalf of the large landlord, would see the 1960s Clare House in Bow, east London, demolished and replaced with a 23-storey residential development.
