Industry News


London council to demolish Ronan Point-style blocks


Hammersmith & Fulham Council in west London is to demolish two 14-storey tower blocks at a cost of £14m after structural surveys identified significant safety concerns. Of the 112 flats in the two blocks at Hartopp and Lannoy Points, 56 of them are already empty. A Fire


Risk Assessment of Hartopp Point carried out in December 2018 concluded the building posed “moderate” risk to life from fire and warned of “major deficiencies” in compartmentation. The report by engineering and construction


consultancy firm Arup warned the council that “an accidental extreme event could lead to the collapse of a disproportionately large part of the building”. Refurbishing the blocks would have cost a projected £16.5m. Advice to the block’s residents in the event of a


fire changed from a stay put policy to full and immediate evacuation in November 2017, with a round-the-clock waking watch in place since then.


The council offered residents the chance to move


out since concerns were first raised about safety in November 2017. It launched a consultation in February stating its preference was to demolish the blocks and said residents were “overwhelmingly supportive” of the plans. Leasehold flats will be bought back at a cost of £4.7m, with owners offered portable equity share loans to allow them to buy another home in the area. Stephen Cowan, leader of Hammersmith &


Fulham Council, said that redevelopment of the blocks would help the council deliver new affordable homes.


Ashford appoints ENGIE for £25m housing R&M contract


Ashford Borough Council have awarded a 10-year contract worth £25m to energy and regeneration specialist ENGIE after a tender process which set a high benchmark for service levels and efficiency, innovation and value for money. Tenants of the council’s 5,500 homes will enjoy a


range of benefits following the appointment of an international company to handle maintenance and emergency repairs. Sharon Williams, Head of Housing at Ashford Borough Council, said the authority had previously worked with up to a dozen


suppliers in delivering reactive housing repairs and maintenance. "Integrating all that work through one


supplier is already bringing considerable benefits to the council, while tenants are also enjoying improvements in the service they receive" she said. ENGIE and Ashford have integrated their


contract management system and housing repairs system, helping to streamline administration and reduce paperwork. As part of this "smarter way of


working", ENGIE has 10 staff embedded in the council's housing repairs team, said Ms Williams. The new contract delivers various service


improvements including faster response times for urgent repairs, out-of-hours response times reduced from four to two hours, more choice and flexibility over appointments – with the available slots extended until 8pm on Wednesday and 1pm on Saturdays. ENGIE has committed to utilising a local supply


chain to put back into the local community, while offering 40 work experience placements for young people in the region, five apprenticeship schemes lasting two years each and a further five traineeships. The apprenticeships will be arranged in conjunction with Ashford College.


Plumber sentenced for moving gas boiler while unregistered


An Essex-based plumber has been given a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay court costs of over £3,000 after carrying out unsafe and unregistered gas work at a property. in September 2016. Basildon Crown Court heard that Andrew


Goodchild, of ASG Plumbing and Heating was served with a Prohibition Notice (PN) by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) earlier in 2016 for carrying out gas work while not being registered


with Gas Safe, but he continued to do so. Mr Goodchild ignored the requirements of the


PN when he removed a gas cooker and pipework from the kitchen and moved a gas boiler, in Leigh- on-Sea in September 2016 leaving it in a dangerous condition. He had not become registered with Gas Safe Register and did not possess the necessary qualifications for carrying out gas work. Andrew Goodchild of The Maples, Harlow, Essex pleaded guilty to breaching the Prohibition Notice


and Regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and was found guilty in a Newton hearing of breaching Regulation 3(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He has received an 18 month suspended sentence, ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and pay £3,200 in costs. Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector


Saffron Turnell said: “Mr Goodchild showed a clear disregard for the law and put a number of people’s lives at risk. Carrying out gas work is difficult, specialised and potentially very dangerous. It is therefore vital that only registered gas engineers, who are trained and competent, work on gas appliances and fittings.”


A for-profit landlord signs management agreement with HA


One of the country’s biggest housing associations has agreed a ten year deal to manage the entire retirement homes stock of for-profit provider Residential Secure Income. Under the new deal, Places for People, which


already owns and manages almost 200,000 homes across the UK, will carry out the day to day management, rent collection and maintenance of


the 2,219 ReSI portfolio. The two organisations have been working


together on a number of projects since 2017, with ReSI buying several hundred properties from PfP. In the new deal the association is being tasked with reducing voids and improving operational performance across the ReSI stock. Pete Redman, managing director of property at


ReSI Capital Management, said: “Following a competitive tender process, we are confident that, with the new contract structure and through working more closely together, Places for People is best placed to maximise returns from our retirement housing portfolio, with enhanced incentives to reduce voids and improve portfolio operating performance for the benefit of ReSI shareholders.”


www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM June/July 2019 | 25


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