Residents to be moved out of Clarion tower block due to safety concerns

In a letter to residents, seen by Inside Housing, Clarion said: “The inspections have concluded that Clare House cannot be kept safe without major refurbishment or demolition and rebuilding. Either option will involve several years of construction activity and will cause very significant disruption for anyone living in Clare House.

“For this reason, we have decided the only course of action is to rehouse all Clare House residents permanently in suitable alternative accommodation. We are going to begin this process as soon as possible, without delay.”

Residents will be moved from the top five floors of the block on the Monteith Estate, near Victoria Park in east London, with meetings set to be held today to discuss housing needs.

The letter added: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but one we have taken to help keep you and your household safe and housed appropriately. We will do everything in our power to help you with the move, minimise disruption and find you a suitable new permanent home.”

In a statement, Clarion said the decision followed “receipt of a fire safety report from an engineering advisory consultancy”.

It said this report had “concluded that not every part of the building meets the latest required government standards for large panel system buildings”.

Clare House has 129 flats and is 63m tall. Like many LPS buildings, it was made of Bison pre-cast concrete. Following Ronan Point, evidence emerged about poor construction practices as blocks of this type were quickly erected and they were found to be vulnerable to collapse in fires or gas explosions.

Clare Miller, chief executive at Clarion, said: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we will always prioritise our residents’ safety above all else.

“The focus right now is doing everything in our power to support Clare House residents as they move into temporary accommodation.

“We have a comprehensive package of support for residents and there will be a round the clock waking watch in the building, as we help people move out in an orderly fashion.”

The building had sprinklers and fire alarms fitted and its fire doors replaced before the decision to move residents out. A waking watch is in place and will continue as the building is emptied of residents.

Carlton Boulter, who has lived in the building for 16 years with his wife and daughter, said residents had discussed the safety of the building with Clarion repeatedly since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.

“We want to know when this structural report was commissioned and the time from delivery of it to Clarion, to the decision today,” he said.

He added that the news today sparked strong emotions, especially from older residents. “A lot of the older people were in tears. There are people who have been the only tenants of their flat since it was built in 1967.

“It’s a nice, quiet, comfortable block in the centre of London. The flats are a good size – not like the rabbit hutches they build today. We have a community here.”

In a letter to residents, Clarion said it would “do our best to match you with the area you prefer although that will depend on availability”. It said priority will be given to families with children in local schools and nurseries, and those who have care needs, in terms of local housing.

Residents will receive a maximum of three formal offers for a new home.

Clarion will pay removal costs and residents will receive home loss compensation of £6,500 once they move into a new home and a £3,000 disturbance payment before the move. The association is seeking serviced apartments for use as temporary accommodation and will provide hotels if it cannot.

Two sister blocks of Clare House, which were built at the same time and using the same method, were demolished in 2002.