Residents oppose plan to build two storeys on their block amid fears it will damage homes

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents on a South London estate fear their homes will collapse if new flats are built on top.

Southwark council wants to add two floors of council homes above four tower blocks on the Southampton Way Estate in Peckham.

But people living there are worried their flats are too weak to take the weight of the extra storeys.

They claim their homes are already creaking with age and have a growing list of problems that need sorting such as cracked windows, broken drains and black mould.

Residents say the council should repair their flats before building more on top.

Koz Khor, who lives with his parents in a flat on the estate, said councillors weren’t taking their concerns seriously.

He said: “We’re worried the building is too weak to take the extra weight. We did some research and these houses are built before the period that you can build houses on. They could fall down.

“It’s something we don’t want. They do online consultations but people here are elderly or people aren’t fluent enough in English so they miss them.”

His dad, Jay Khor, 52, added: “The council should focus on repairing the flats here first. You can fish outside my door in the puddle in winter because the drain doesn’t work.”

Southwark council says 32 new council homes could be created by adding extra floors to blocks on the estate.

A 2020 report looking into the scheme for the council expressed doubts the estate’s tower blocks could withstand the force of wind if extra floors were added.

Mother-of-two, Dee, a civil servant, said new flats should be built elsewhere.

The 32-year-old said: “It’s not safe to build on top of the buildings. I think there are plenty of other spaces they can use to make buildings for new homes.

“There are so many problems with the building – the pipes are old and there are mould problems. I think they should start again and build it again rather than build on-top.”

Cristina Oyarzun, 60, who lives with her husband, Juan, 67, said she was worried about the nuisance building work would bring.

She said: “I’m against the plans. It’s going to be very noisy when they start doing all the work. It’s an old building. I’m concerned about how safe it is.”

Mr Oyarzun added: “We have problems with leaks from upstairs. It’s okay now but if they build above they are going to move all the pipes and disrupt things.”

Cabinet Member for Council Homes and Homelessness Councillor Stephanie Cryan said: “London’s housing crisis is hitting Southwark hard.

“We have 3,400 households living in temporary accommodation and more than 16,500 households on our waiting list for a home.

“Half of these households include children, many of whom are living in overcrowded and cramped homes.

“There is real human cost to inaction, which is why we are looking at more than 70 sites across the borough to build new council homes.

“As part of this work, we are investigating the possibility of extending a number of our estates upwards.

“We have currently engaged professional, external services to review existing structures, fire safety and all the other information that we need to make a sound decision about progressing such a scheme, at any estate.

“We would never, under any circumstances, allow works to go ahead where there was any doubt to the safety of our residents or the structural integrity of the building.”

Pictured top: Koz Khor (image: Robert Firth)