Tower block plans scrapped, leaving residents living next to building site and others without homes to move into

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Tower block residents face living next to an unfinished building site indefinitely.

The news comes after the council halted construction of 25 homes on their estate because the planned building wouldn’t have met new fire safety rules.

At a meeting last week, Southwark council told Styles House Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) that a project to build 25 new council properties on their estate, next to Southwark Tube station, would have to go back to the drawing board.

The Labour-run council said updated Government regulations that require new residential buildings taller than 18 metres – approximately six storeys – to have two staircases meant they couldn’t progress with the proposed 15-storey block.

Kieron Williams, leader of Southwark council, said the authority’s design team had tried to find a way of squeezing a second staircase into the planned building, but had concluded it wasn’t possible due to the ‘very tight footprint’ of the site.

Philippe Chery, the incoming chairman of Styles House TMO, said he was angry the council hadn’t informed residents of the potential obstacles to the project earlier.

Housing secretary Michael Gove announced the new rules in July, while City Hall has required all new residential buildings over 30 metres to have a second staircase since February.

Mr Chery said: “The council has been useless. What we are angry about is the council not coming to us before and asking us ‘can we redesign the place?’

“There are other options that can be considered. The council couldn’t answer how much money they had spent when I asked them.”

It is believed that a number of former residents of bungalows on the estate, that were demolished as part of the redevelopment, had been intending to move into the new councils homes that are now on hold.

Victor Chamberlain, the area’s Liberal Democrat councillor, said the news had left residents ‘reeling’.

He added: “The council has known since February that the design was no longer compliant with building safety regulations. It’s completely unacceptable that it took so long to communicate with residents, the TMO and councillors about this.”

Cllr Kieron Williams, Labour leader of Southwark council, said: “I absolutely share residents’ disappointment that we have had to go back to the drawing board on these new council homes, and I’m very sorry for the uncertainty this has brought.

“Unfortunately the Government’s new requirement to have two staircases in blocks over 18 metres means the designs we had worked up with the community can’t progress. We will be working with residents to find a way forward.”

Pictured top: Flats in Styles House overlook a construction site (Picture: Robert Firth)