Flats being demolished in Solomons Passage SE15

[intexasatthe moment]

Everything that TE44 has said . This is unimaginable .

Has Harriet Harman responded to you ? Have you contacted the national press ?

[Elphinstone's Army]

Aine and Anacarmen, I pm'd you both.

I am so shocked by this I cannot imagine how you are all feeling.

Have you been given written notice? or only verbally advised at a meeting in Wandle swanky offices at Minerva House.

They have enough floor space there to house you all, as goodness knows they are not putting it to productive use at the moment.

And echo what ITATM just asked.

[LondonMix]

Wow, this is truly crazy. Whoever signed this project off (including self certified trades) all need their professional certifications revoked. Southwark isn't always involved in building control-- some builders can use a private building control service. Our builder wanted to do this but I insisted we use Southwark and am glad we did as they made our builder redo piping, fire proofing, put in additional structural reinforcement and add access panels during his inspections. If Southwark actually signed off this construction, I'd be truly horrified.

Once you figure out what you need and want, please let the rest of the community know how we can best support you. I imagine many would sign a petition asking both for accountability from those involved as well as guaranteed rehousing within a reasonable distance of the current scheme.

The only silver lining is the problems have been discovered before someone was hurt as a result of the unsafe manner in which this project was constructed.

[aerie]

To all Solomon's Passage residents - we are truly sorry to hear this shocking news. I don't believe your wider community are powerless and we will want to help.

What I do find surprising is that with nearly 2,000 views on this thread, so few messages of support help or hopeful resolution. Is everyone else still in shock?

[Penguin68]

It is particularly shocking if it is a Housing Association which owns the properties. These should have a professional care for such things as build quality (if only because they are investing in their own stock - unlike speculative developers aiming to get shot of developments asap). Indeed, it would call into question their capacity and right to continue as a Housing Association at all, and certainly their rights to undertake any future developments. This really is the sort of issue which the local MP (and not just local councilors) should be involved with. Are those directly concerned with this (the tenants about to lose their homes) aware of any contact with, or comments from, their elected representatives nationally or locally?

[Renata Hamvas]

Hello all,

please read the attached summary statement sent to me following discussions with Wandle. It appears there were problems with the designs of the buildings and with the main contractor. They went bust in 2011. The first block (40) was completed before they were in trouble and the last block (46) taken over by another company and completed. This is why the middle two blocks are in a worse state than the other two. Please note I think they are talking about the Peckham Rye East/Nunhead area and not East Peckham in the document!

This is a very major upheaval for all involved. Blocks 40/46 contain shared ownership/leaseholders. It is clear that some of the shared ownership/leaseholders are taking the enhanced purchase back of their property (at market value plus 10% plus disembursements) to upgrade to other Wandle properties eg moving from a one bedroom to a two bedroom elsewhere. Others will move to temporary accomodation nearby and move back in 18 months time.

Those in blocks 42 and 44 will see their homes demolished and rebuilt. This won't happen until after blocks 40 and 46 are refurbished. This means that the tenants in blocks 42 and 44 have the option to stay put for the next 18 months and then move into 44 or 46. They have other options eg move into private rented accomodation (Wandle picking up the extra above their current rent) until the blocks are rebuilt or moving into another Wandle property. Some tenants are apparently again using this as an opportunity to upgrade their accommodation eg securing a larger property with a garden.

There have been changes in legislation since planning permission was first gained for the properties. The new numbers 44 and 46 will need to follow the Southwark and London plan. This means there will be re-consultation and new applications via the planning process for these two blocks.

Wandle are making claims via the NHBC scheme. I couldn't get any firm response on what happened with building control inspections, eg was a building's inspector called in when they should have been, were the final buildings signed off. I would say, 44 doesn't look like it was ever completed! It sounds like the buildings weren't built to be fire compliant too.

This whole situation is horrendous. I did see the letter a couple of months ago that was sent to residents about minimizing disruption. I don't think this process could be more disruptive for the community of residents who live in Solomon's passage! I would like to know if the measures that Wandle have said they are taking in the attachment are happening. They will be interviewing residents on an individual basis to gauge what will work best for each family. This means if eg your family has expanded and you now need a larger property, this is the time to say so. If you have children in local schools and you want to remain in the blocks, make this clear!

Renata

[NYYoung]

Dear all, thank you for messages of support. It is very serious. Here is the letter i wrote to harrier harman last friday.

Dear Ms Harman

I am writing on behalf of 23 of your constituents and my fellow residents at 46 Solomon's Passage, SE15 3DN.

Further to my letter of 24th March, and your response on 12th April, circumstances at Solomon's Passage have taken a dramatic change for the worse. After six years of consistently poor service, Wandle Housing Association is now ?re-homing? leaseholders and tenants from 85 homes to enable a six-year building project to reconstruct, demolish and re-build blocks we have discovered were neither safe - nor fit for purpose - when we bought them on a shared ownership scheme. The entire street is to be rebuilt. We have been advised by solicitors that this is an unprecedented move and casts serious doubt on Wandle?s ability to provide service and duty of care, to manage its estate and the public?s money.

The options we have been given by Wandle for ?re-housing? are derisory and inadequate to secure equivalent alternatives. We stand to lose the investments we have worked so hard for, and have been priced out of our area, a community where our children go to schools, where we work for local employers. Wandle is taking no account of money we have poured into our homes to improve them, roots we have put down here, and the community we have built.

These blocks have not ever been adequately fire-proofed. We have had six years of chronic problems with gas, electrics, water drainage and ventilation. We have not been able to safely use the underground car parking facility we paid for. During our time here complaints about service and maintenance have been ignored. The buildings have not been adequately cleaned and we paid a monthly service charge. Now we learn that the water drainage system is defunct. This has caused six years of flooding and rotted the entire timber frame. The roof needs replacing, the exterior cladding has warped, the gutters are leaking, and the building has never been properly insulated.

After six years of poor service, inadequate maintenance, ineffective communication and constant chronic problems with our building, we are now facing disruption on a much more serious and life-changing scale.

As you can imagine this has caused considerable stress, anxiety and sleepless nights for all those currently living here and we are pursuing legal action as a group.

Our situation is very serious. As our local parliamentary representative, we are asking for your direct support and intervention. We need further information from Southwark Council on both our rights and what they have agreed with Wandle. I have cc-d our Housing Ombudsman Councillor, Gavin Edwards, in the hope that you can work together on this. Southwark Council Building Control signed off the buildings, which were built by Green Acre Homes (who went into administration in August 2011) and we are interested to know what their response is to this issue.

We need your support to pressure Wandle to provide adequate compensation so that we can find new homes equivalent to those we currently have in the local area. I am happy to act as a spokesperson for the residents and would like to arrange a meeting with you both at your earliest convenience to understand how you may be able to help.

[buddug]

Renata, I think, as you know, the main point of all this is - who signed off this development? How on earth did you fail to find out from either Wandle or Southwark Buildings Control? You're a councillor for god's sake!

[buddug]

Ah-ha! So Southwark Buildings Control did sign it off (that's a great letter to Harriet Harman, by the way). Over to you, Renata...

[NYYoung]

Thank you. And for support. We are going to need all the help we can get from the community.

[spider69]

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's quote regarding the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve"

Lets hope now that people are starting to realise what has happened to these residents and the resolve from the whole community is there to exact justice for these people and due punishment for those that caused this misery for so many.

Not to see the matter swept under the carpet.

They built a life it should not be taken away.

[LondonMix]

Wow-- I'm floored this was signed off by Southwark... Shocking and disgraceful don't even begin to describe this kind of gross negligence.

As someone who relies on Southwark Building control to enforce safety requirements throughout my area (including construction of new schools for use by my family), I very strongly need to see an investigation into what happened here to have any kind of confidence that this body is fit for purpose.

[buddug]

Why are you shocked? It's Southwark Council.

[first mate]

Perhaps Renata should go straight to S'wark building control and dig out all the records on this build, surely the simplest way to find out what was and what was not signed off? If I have understood, the Councillor has known about this major issue for at least two months.

I am not sure why it was necessary to repeat the fact that some residents 'might' be using this as an opportunity to upgrade- a bit of a red herring that.

[jam_log]

Thanks for all of your support everyone, another resident here, we are all still in shock at the upheaval that this is going to cause, there are so many individual stories, so many lives affected.

As you have seen we are all in negotiations with the housing association to see what agreement we can come to.

[spider69]

Perhaps Eleanor Kelly, Chief Executive and Cllr Peter John, Leader of the Council might like to comment on the forum regarding this matter?

The implications of this lack of control. if true, is frightening.

What else is around due to the rush to build and meet the numbers required.

We have all heard the problems people have had with Major Works.

[Cyclemonkey]

Nothing more to add other than shock and sympathy for the tenants and leaseholders. How awful to think you have somewhere secure to build a life only by learn this. Wandle and Southwark have some serious explaining to do.

[Emmapeskie]

Dear Renata,

As one of the residents of 46 Solomons passage, I can assure you that wandle have not offered us flats in their other shared ownership schemes, nor have told us whether or not we are eligible for shared ownership schemes elsewhere. As shared owners the current offer does not allow us to buy outright on the open market and so we are effectively trapped. I am quite frankly offended that you should think that there is any possible way to profit from this situation. Quite the contrary, it leaves many of us in extremely difficult and compromised positions at a time when the property market is veering out of control for ordinary people like ourselves.

[intexasatthe moment]

Renata says "I can't get any firm response about what happened with building control inspections " is everyone reading that as Southwark being involved ?

Renata's post also contains this regarding shared ownership residents " Others will move to temporary accomodation nearby and move back in 18 months time. "

but Wandle only say they'll try and rehouse people nearby and warn that this might not be possible

"For leaseholders and shared owners we would help them find alternative private rented accommodation equivalent to their flat. We would try and find homes in East Peckham, but this may not be possible."

And is it just me or does anyone else struggle with Wandle's wording

"They would continue to pay the amount of mortgage (and rent for shared owners) that they pay now and we would pay the private sector rent, up to the amount they would receive if their existing property was rented "

[MarkT]

Texas,

NYYoung stated that "Southwark Council Building Control signed off the buildings" in the letter from residents to Harriet Harman.

NYYoung, do you have any references for that?

MarkT

[intexasatthe moment]

Thanks MarkT ,yet another senior moment .

[OSheppard]

Greetings to you all, I am a reporter from Southwark News, and just came across this after another forum member alerted me to the situation. Absolutely shocking to read through all of this, it's over and above anything I've come across.

I was wondering if any of you who are residents might like to speak to us?

You can email me on [email protected] or call up on 02072 315258.

Having read through the thread and some of the shocking details I have put in an enquiry to Wandle.

Hopefully with some determination between press, councillors and residents we will be able to find out how on earth this all happened.

Kind regards,

Owen Sheppard

[aerie]

Owen, cannot speak for the Solomans Passage tenants or any other Wandle Tenant apart from myself discovering blank indifference, ignore, treat with contempt. for over 18 months now. therefore can imagine the psychological mental, and emotional effect this is having/will have on settled residents intent on describing a community and now being required to disperse in some sort of illogical diaspora

as though this is war time. From my own experience Wandle have : no sense or sensibility, no logical or reason, no morality and no care for tenant including no fire alarm system and no means of escape in case of fire.

We do not always realise this until we are esconced. As we have an expectation of safety through landlord.

This is a situation with many faces is it not, we will rally as neighbwe will not abandon you do not be afraid.

[Elphinstone's Army]

and hope I am speaking for everyone else? speak up, please!

[aerie]

neighbwe? mean neighbours of course. its difficult sometimes from a phone on the way to work on a bus.

but nothing to the stress and worry tenants here are experiencing. We are with Wandle through cruel circumstance which will clear and we will begone. Only hope SP tenants somehow are raised by this if only eventually and have a better life. This situation is shameful. I am so sorry that in this day and age we cannot help people more.