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Sadiq Khan demands ‘firm timeline’ for Barking safety works

Sadiq Khan has demanded that the company managing the building damaged in a fire on Sunday to provide a “firm timeline” for safety works.

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Sadiq Khan, mayor of London
Sadiq Khan, mayor of London
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Sadiq Khan has demanded that the company managing the building damaged in a fire at the weekend provide a “firm timeline” for safety works #ukhousing

Sadiq Khan demands a “firm timeline” from company managing Samuel Garside House #ukhousing

The mayor of London made the call in a letter – seen by Inside Housing – to HomeGround, which is responsible for Samuel Garside House.

Twenty flats in the block were destroyed by a fire on Sunday after flames spread across the cladding and balconies, which were made from ThermoWood, a timber product.

The developer of the block, Bellway, confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that it is “highly likely” to strip cladding and remove balconies from the rest of the building, although it also suggested at a residents’ meeting that it would instead treat the wood to make it fire retardant across the wider development.


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The mayor also wrote to another developer, Mace, which has built a number of low-rise houses in the area. These are not blocks of flats like Samuel Garside, but individual houses.

In this letter Mr Khan wrote that Bellway has decided to survey other buildings in the area, regardless of ownership.

He added: “Following this survey, I would expect you to work closely with Bellway Homes, [the owner of Samuel Garside] Adriatic Land, HomeGround and RMG [the company contracted to manage the block] to take whatever remedial actions are necessary, without delay, to make these homes safe.”

A spokesperson for Mace said:

“Mace is working closely with the Mayor’s Office on this issue and attended the residents’ association meeting at the site on Thursday evening. We spoke directly to a number of the residents of the properties we built, listened to their concerns and discussed our plans with them.

“As a matter of urgency we are undertaking an in-depth investigation into the properties that we built, and are committed to working closely with Barking Riverside, the Mayor’s Office, Bellway Homes and the Council to understand the situation and establish what action – if any – needs to be taken.

“It is important to note that the 64 homes built by Mace at Barking Riverside are houses, rather than high-rise flats, and so are subject to different rules and guidance than the properties affected in the incident last week.”

In his letter to HomeGround, Mr Khan wrote: “You are responsible for ensuring the proper management of Samuel Garside House and safety of its residents.

“I would therefore expect confirmation from you within seven days of your proposed plan of action, including how you will work with Bellway Homes, to identify any outstanding issues on the properties you manage at Barking Riverside, and a firm timeline within which these will be satisfactorily resolved.”

He also criticised HomeGround for its approach, before the fire, to complaints from residents, who, the mayor’s letter suggested, had raised fire safety issues with the company before.

According to residents, Bellway had previously claimed that the timber cladding on the balconies could withstand fire for 30 minutes.

Mr Khan wrote: “The assurances regarding fire safety given to these residents and the actions taken have clearly been woefully inadequate.”

Update: at 8.59 on 17.6.19 This story was updated to include a comment from a Mace spokesperson.

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