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Haringey plans new heating system for large panel towers
Haringey Council has presented residents with options for a new heating system in tower blocks declared unsafe after post-Grenfell checks, but has left the gas on for now.
Nine seven-storey blocks on the famous Broadwater Farm Estate in Tottenham have been found to be unsafe as long as a gas system is still used to heat the buildings.
The blocks are large panel system (LPS) buildings, the same kind as the Ledbury Estate in Southwark, which was at risk of partial collapse while gas remained in place.
The three options being considered by the council are installing a fully electric system in each block, expanding the district heating system which currently services the two taller buildings, and retrospectively strengthening the blocks.
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The initial construction of the estate was still underway when Newham tower block Ronan Point, another LPS block, infamously collapsed after a gas explosion in 1968. In response, builders strengthened blocks on Broadwater Farm.
At the time, the estate was constructed with a district heating system, but in the 1990s this was changed to gas heating. Stress tests by the council after the Grenfell Tower fire found that the buildings where this had taken place were unsafe.
The council has already removed gas cookers from the blocks and fitted a valve to the system to allow gas supplies to be turned off if a leak is detected.
Jacob Secker, secretary of Broadwater Farm Residents’ Association, told Inside Housing that he was pleased the council had not rushed the work.
He cited the Ledbury Estate – where residents were abruptly left without heating for a month – and Camden’s Chalcots Estate – where the council evacuated residents on short notice, as bad examples of how to handle such situations.
Mr Secker added: “The only concern we have is about cost. We don’t want people on Broadwater Farm to end up out of pocket. In general, it’s a very low-income estate, and any extra money would hit people.”
A spokesperson for Homes for Haringey, the council’s ALMO, said: “Residents’ safety is, of course, the main consideration. Homes for Haringey will also be considering value for money [initial capital outlay and ongoing revenue costs], disruption to residents, energy efficiency and timescales.”
