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Our buildings are still at risk
Tower Hamlets recently experienced a horrifying “near miss” fire in a tower block. Its mayor, John Biggs, says not enough is being done to address the risk
Recently we marked four years since the Grenfell Tower fire and the deaths of 72 people. We ask, has the government done enough to prevent something like this happening again?
We know that the Grenfell fire could have been prevented and it’s a constant anxiety for the people who continue to live in unsafe buildings, with the added pressure that we still don’t know who will pick up the costs of fixing the problems.
Developers, and the wider construction sector, which made large profits using construction methods that were accepted at the time but now are now deemed to be unsafe, are not being fully held to account.
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Tower Hamlets, which has more tall buildings than anywhere in the country, has seen the highest number of blocks apply to the government’s Building Safety Fund, as most of our blocks have been recently built and constructed with modern techniques and materials.
We recently experienced a fire in one of our private developments – New Providence Wharf on the Isle of Dogs – which further tested our community.
“I have met residents of New Providence Wharf several times, yet the works to make the building safe were only just beginning after much delay about who would pay for them”
Residents are understandably worried, and frustrated, at the slow response from government and developers to the problem and nervous that their homes may still be unsafe.
And interestingly the interim response from the fire brigade indicating that cladding did not play a significant role in the risk of the fire spreading raises more questions than it answers, because it has highlighted wider concerns about fire safety and preparedness.
In particular, since the New Providence Wharf fire, there are new anxieties about alarms and other safety management systems, whether they are resilient and whether they work.
This raises a new area of concern, alongside that about building materials, which is about the day-to-day management of largely unsupervised buildings: who is responsible and who is in charge, and what plan, if any, will swing into action if an incident happens?
“‘Never again’ was the promise after Grenfell, but the government’s words need to be followed up by a greater urgency of action”
I have met residents of New Providence Wharf several times, yet the works to make the building safe were only just beginning after much delay about who would pay for them, and this new issue of who is in charge and what should happen if an incident occurs has emerged. This is a challenge for the whole sector and we need enduring and industry-wide lessons to be learned.
The fire at New Providence Wharf felt like a ‘near miss’. In just the past month I’ve attended public protests organised in the wake of this and spoken at several public meetings about this issue calling on the government to step up and take action, with more campaigning and meetings being arranged.
‘Never again’ was the promise after Grenfell, but the government’s words need to be followed up by a greater urgency of action.
John Biggs, mayor of Tower Hamlets
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