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Notting Hill Genesis in talks with tower block residents over compensation after delay to re-cladding
Residents living in a trouble-hit £100m modular London tower block development are seeking compensation from Notting Hill Genesis (NHG), after a lengthy delay to replace the cladding on their buildings.
The 1,060-unit, six-block Paragon development, which is run by NHG through its Paragon Student Lets arm, includes a mix of student, key worker, one and two-bedroom leasehold flats and social housing. The blocks range from four to 17 storeys, the tallest of which was the biggest modular tower in Britain when it was built in 2006.
The three blocks facing repairs, which were built entirely offsite, have been dogged by problems since NHG decided in 2018 to replace the cladding due to “an unacceptably poor level of design and workmanship”.
NHG, which manages around 55,000 homes, said it moved to change the cladding not because of any fire risks but because of the way it was fitted, which was causing water to leak around windows.
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When the blocks were built, the cladding was described as a combination of ceramic tiles, glazing, terracotta and aluminium.
However, an NHG spokesperson told Inside Housing that plywood sheathing had been found underneath the cladding.
The new cladding will be an A1-rated, non-combustible, Sto render system over Rockwool duo slab mineral wool, the spokesperson added, to “address changes in building regulations specific to Advice Note 14”.
The landlord initially appointed cladding specialist Facade and Cladding Engineering (trading as Face Facades) to carry out the remediation work, but the contractor went into liquidation last June.
A new contractor, Axis Europe, was subsequently appointed, with work now expected to start this month and complete by the end of September.
Of the blocks being remediated, one houses key workers, one leaseholders and social housing residents, and the last is for students.
“Residents have requested compensation and discussions are ongoing,” the NHG spokesperson told Inside Housing.
Asked how many residents were involved, the spokesperson said: “Various conversations with residents are ongoing and we won’t go into the details of these discussions publicly."
A 24-hour waking watch is currently on site at Paragon and NHG said it is working with fire experts and the London Fire Brigade to ensure they are “comfortable with our approach and that our replacement cladding system complies fully with the most up-to-date building regulations and fire brigade advice”.
NHG launched legal action in late 2018 against the original contractors that worked on the development. However, the association’s spokesman said the matter had been settled and the agreement is confidential.
