Industry news


Hundreds of social tenants to be moved from tower block homes


live are either becoming too costly to maintain or they are unsafe. In north-east England, Thirteen housing


T


association which owns around 34,000 homes in the Tees Valley, has announced it will be demolishing five of its 18 tower blocks. The blocks’ 346 flats will be replaced by 100 new homes on sites in Thornaby and Middlesbrough. Residents will be moved out over the next 18 to


24 months and helped into their new homes by a specialist relocation co-ordinator. A spokesman said a review of its high-rise stock concluded the investment needed to maintain the five buildings “is not sustainable and could also lead to significantly increased service charges for tenants”. It insisted the blocks are fully compliant with building and fire safety regulations. All five were built in the 1960s using large panel


system construction methods, the same building type used at Ronan Point in Newham, which killed four people in a partial collapse in 1968 following a gas explosion. A spokesperson said Thirteen does not have any further demolition plans for its other tower blocks but intends to retrofit them with sprinkler systems. Ian Wardle, chief executive of Thirteen, said: “This news will come as a shock to those living in


enants from opposite ends of the country are being moved from their homes over concerns that the tower blocks where they


these flats and we can assure them that it is not a decision that has been taken lightly. It is important to stress that all our high-rise buildings are safe and meet all the relevant standards and requirements. This decision has not been made because of safety concerns.”


STRUCTURAL CONCERNS Down on the south coast residents are to be moved out of two Portsmouth tower blocks to allow strengthening works to be completed, after structural investigations found the two 18-storey buildings’ concrete was “not as strong as expected”, Horatia House and Leamington House, owned by


Portsmouth City Council, are home to around 800 people. The blocks were built using the Bison system of large panel construction – the same as that used at two high rise tower blocks in Rugby where the council has taken similar measures. The two blocks had dangerous ACM cladding


removed last year following the Grenfell Tower fire. The structural issues were discovered while the council was looking to replace the cladding. Residents of the 272 flats will not be evacuated


immediately but will be moved out once suitable new homes are found. It is expected to be spring 2019 before all residents have left the blocks, with “extra security measures” introduced in the interim. Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Liberal Democrat leader of the council said: “It is very important that people


A rehousing strategy will see the Irvine residents rehoused in “high-quality” homes on the site and elsewhere in the area. Joe Cullinane, leader of the council, said: “From the outset, we said we would listen to what the residents wanted and that is reflected in the decisions made.”


realise there is no immediate danger from day-to- day living in the buildings but, as our number one priority is resident safety, we are starting the process of moving people to new homes.” There are five other council-owned LPS blocks in Portsmouth, but the authority said it has no concerns about these following structural surveys. Meanwhile North Ayrshire Council in Scotland


has decided to demolish five tower blocks in Irvine after a majority of residents voted in favour of the proposal. But two other blocks in Saltcoats were reprieved and instead will be fitted with water sprinkler systems. A rehousing strategy will see the Irvine residents


rehoused in “high-quality” homes on the site and elsewhere in the area. Joe Cullinane, leader of the council, said: “From the outset, we said we would listen to what the residents wanted and that is reflected in the decisions made.”


Over 1m families on waiting lists for social housing


More than 1 million families are reportedly stuck on local authority waiting lists for social housing in England as the number of council homes has slumped to a record low. Analysis done by the housing charity Shelter


shows that a total of 1.15m households were on waiting lists last year. At the same time only 290,000 homes became available, leaving a shortfall of more than 800,000 homes across the country. Two thirds of these families had been on waiting


lists for more than a year, while more than a quarter of them had been waiting for more than five years, often in unsuitable or temporary accommodation. Waiting times in some London boroughs and seaside resorts like Blackpool and Brighton have now grown to beyond 10 and 15 years, with no early resolution in sight. Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing


Conference in Manchester, Terrie Alafat described the housing situation as “a national disgrace”. She


said tackling homelessness had to be a top priority for the Government and she called for the right to buy policy to be suspended. Shelter says the main factors causing the current


shortfall are the lack of new affordable homes being built by councils and housing associations, coupled with the continuing sale of properties through the right to buy scheme. Only a fraction of the sold properties are being replaced while many others are re-let privately at much higher rents. Polly Neate, Shelter’s chief executive, said the fact


that some survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire were still homeless a year on from the disaster had “totally shaken people’s trust in the safety net the state supposedly provides”. She called for a bold new plan for social housing so families are not condemned to waiting lists but given safe, secure and affordable housing as quickly as possible. “Imagine how frustrating life must be for the millions of people across the country who have


been stuck on waiting lists, often for years on end,” she said. “This is not just confined to London but it is happening right across the country, from Brighton to Blackpool. Families are unable to get settled and unable to get on with their lives.


www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM July 2018 | 13


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52