Residents of several buildings in Peckham, South London, have been asked to leave their homes due to fire safety fears.
In a letter to the residents of the remaining three blocks of the Ledbury Estate, Southwark Council confirmed that the “existing problems” relating to fire safety had “worsened”, with as many as 131 households believed to be affected.
Emergency work was initially carried out at the blocks in 2017 after “major issues” were found in the structure of the buildings, along with the introduction of a 24-hour waking watch and change of fire evacuation strategy from ‘stay put’ to ‘simultaneous evacuation’. As Construction Management explains, the towers had been constructed using the large panel system method, “whereby giant concrete slabs [are] bolted together onsite”.
In 2021, a consensus was reached that the towers should be demolished and replaced with “high-quality homes”. The council adds that fire risk assessments were carried out regularly at the time; however, concerns were raised during the most recent assessment, where it was found that the “risk of fire has increased”.
“When combined with another recent issue – the storage of lithium batteries needed for mobility scooters, which increases the risk of fire – it was agreed that we cannot risk people living in the blocks long-term while the new homes are completed on site,” the council stated.
“As a result, the council is speaking to everyone in all three buildings about moving out as soon as we can find alternative housing that meets the needs of each household.”
In the interim, additional fire safety works have been carried out as a short-term measure, with the watching watch remaining and the introduction of a “zero tolerance approach to modes of transport that need lithium batteries, such as e-scooters and e-bikes”. As detailed by Southwark News, other short-term measures include “additional fire compartmentation works in flats and communal areas” and “installing additional smoke detection in the corridors and lobbies”.
Cabinet member for council homes at Southwark Council, Councillor Sarah King said: “Despite what we know about the long-term issues with the Ledbury estate, this must have come as a shock for everyone living at Ledbury estate. I have so much sympathy for residents who have to uproot themselves from their homes much sooner than expected, but their safety has to be our first priority and it’s not something we can compromise on.
“The action we have taken today follows advice from our fire consultants Frankhams after our joint, intrusive fire risk inspection (FRA4) discovered that existing problems with all three tower block buildings have worsened.
“Residents will have to move out for their safety and the buildings will be demolished as planned.
“All residents will be supported at every stage with help and information about where they will move to and how we can help them settle into their new homes. Housing officers and fire safety experts will be based at the Ledbury Tenants and Residents Hall and our 24/7 waking watch will be remain on site to continue monitoring and mitigating risk. Under no circumstances should modes of transport needing a lithium battery enter any of the buildings.”
(Photograph by Philip Talmage, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9201268)