No rebates for Bromley homes ‘blighted by Grenfell-like cladding’

Leaseholders living in a Bromley block have been rebuffed in their bid to obtain council tax refunds from the authority after their flats were approved to be built with cladding that was later found to be unsafe.

Residents of Northpoint, a 10-storey block of flats in the town centre, made the request after their building was found in 2017 to be covered in the same aluminium composite material cladding that was used on the Grenfell Tower.

The topic was discussed at a Bromley council meeting on Monday, when resident Ritu Saha claimed that flats in the building had become ‘unsellable’ given the ongoing costs required to keep the structure safe.

Ms Saha asked the Bromley council leader: “Innocent leaseholders at Northpoint have suffered enormous financial hardship and mental torture for seven years. Will Bromley council reimburse council tax paid by us for seven years on flats made worthless, as your building control signed off this unsafe building with missing fire barriers and combustible Grenfell cladding as safe?”

Conservative councillor Colin Smith, leader of the council expressed his sympathies to the residents of Northpoint. He said that the building control inspector and London Fire Brigade were both satisfied that the building was compliant with the relevant building regulations at the time.

He said at the meeting: “Responsibility for achieving compliance with the building regulations during the construction phase is the responsibility of the developer. It would be the building owner’s responsibility to ensure that any changes in standards are met as requirements inevitably change over time.”

Cllr Smith maintained that the authority would not be able to offer residents a rebate on council tax payments.

The council leader said: “Council tax is charged to provide local services for local people, very much including those living at Northpoint, and as desperate as their housing situation has been, that is why the decision not to provide a rebate was taken and still stands.”

The Northpoint building in Bromley town centre was converted from its original offices into a set of flats by Alfred McAlpine Homes before selling the units in 1999.

Developer Taylor Wimpey acquired Alfred McAlpine Homes in 2001, becoming the freeholders of Northpoint until Citistead Limited purchased the freehold in 2007. Remediation works to the building were reportedly completed in September.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said: “We recognise the legitimate concerns of residents at Northpoint. We have committed to reimbursing the Building Safety Fund for the delivery of the required fire safety remedial works at this legacy site, in line with the terms of the developer’s remediation contract we signed in March 2023.”

They added: “Taylor Wimpey has set aside £333 million to fund, and where required undertake, the completion of necessary works and we have a dedicated team fully focused on progressing this programme as quickly as possible.”

Pictured top: The Department for Housing said it sympathises with residents of this building who had Grenfell-style cladding wrapped around it (Picture: Kiro Evans/LDRS)