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MTVH asks fire service for extension to Worcester Park remediation work deadline
Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) has asked London Fire Brigade (LFB) to extend its deadline for fixing fire safety issues on the estate where a huge blaze broke out in the summer of 2019.
The housing association has told the residents of the estate in Worcester Park that it has “formally requested an extension” to the enforcement notices that LFB issued in December last year, which required MTVH to complete the work by the end of April 2021.
It is believed that the delay is due in part to MTVH not yet having reached legal agreements with the site’s developer, St James, over what work needs to be carried out on each building to meet safety standards.
MTVH said the remediation plan was also delayed at the start of the year by the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
The request comes more than a year after a fire completely destroyed Richmond House, a four-storey block on the estate made up of 23 shared ownership homes.
Earlier this year, Inside Housing obtained a report that revealed the block was fitted with “defective” cavity barriers that “contributed nothing to the control of the fire”.
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Intrusive surveys carried out in the wake of the fire found defects in the passive fire protection of several buildings, leading MTVH to be served with enforcement notices on 16 of its buildings.
It is understood St James, which is part of the Berkeley Group, was also issued with enforcement notices on a number of the buildings it owns on the estate.
As of September, MTVH said it was yet to reach legal agreements with St James for external work on six of the buildings on the estate and said it is “also working as fast as possible to sign the agreements for the internal remediation work that is required”.
The housing association recently obtained planning permission for the rebuild of Richmond House, which it said will be a “a like-for-like replacement with additional safety measures highlighted in the investigations and as required under new building regulations”.
However, St James will no longer be responsible for the rebuild. MTVH said it will appoint a design team before tendering for a new lead contractor.
A representative from MTVH said: “Our priority is the safety and well-being of our residents.
“We share residents’ deep concerns that buildings that were bought in good faith from the original developer have construction defects. We are working across all our homes on the estate to put this right.
“We have made good progress, despite COVID delaying this remediation plan at the start of the year. 167 of the actions covered by the enforcement notices are now complete and the external works on two of the blocks are almost complete.”
The representative added: “We have established a dedicated team to look after the Richmond House residents displaced by the fire and we will continue to house and support them until their homes are rebuilt.
“We have established a Rebuild Steering Group with residents to work together on the rebuild and to evidence at each stage of construction that all fire safety standards are being met.
“Planning permission for the replacement building was recently granted by the London Borough of Sutton and we are in the process of appointing a design team for the new building prior to tendering for a main contractor.
“MTVH will oversee all aspects of the rebuild, working with external contractors and partners as required.”
Berkeley Group has been approached for comment.
