Tower block dwellers feeling like prisoners in own homes with no end in sight to scaffold hell

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Service

Families in a west London tower block say they are living through hell as they have to listen to round-the-clock drilling that sounds like a rock concert.

Tenants on the North Kensington estate also claim construction workers peer into their homes and leave a trail of rubbish in their wake.

Darren Turner, 50, who has lived in Hazlewood Tower for 25 years, claims he’s seen builders apply four different types of cladding outside his ninth-storey flat.

He said: “We’ve been going through absolute hell. We’ve lost all our privacy. We’re exposed to this noise on a daily basis. You can’t open the windows because of the noise and dust and everything.

“Since they installed the new windows, residents have been experiencing floods, leaks and condensation and black mould. It’s just appalling.”

Darren said the round-the-clock drilling can reach 100 decibels – the equivalent of being exposed to a rock concert.

He said: “It’s been extremely, extremely stressful. My home isn’t my home anymore and the residents have just had enough.”

Construction firm LawTech has been carrying out essential safety work on Hazelwood Tower since early 2021 as part of Kenginston and Chelsea council’s push to make housing safer in the borough following the Grenfell disaster.

Before that, the estate was hit by two years of scaffolding construction and the removal of cladding by separate companies.

But residents have reached breaking point and say the decision to block off access to their balconies since March has led some residents into a mental breakdown.

“This has been going on for too long. I understand the job’s got to be done but inflicting this on residents for four-and-a-half years is too much. We’ve had enough,” Darren said. “I feel like my life’s been on hold for the last four-and-a-half years because of this.”

He was told by the local building manager that construction should end in February, despite the tower still being covered top-to-toe in layers of scaffolding and much of the cladding left uninstalled.

Another resident, Malika, 62, who has been living on the bottom floor of Hazlewood Tower for more than 20 years, says she’d never experienced issues with her flat until construction started in 2018 and now has to cope with freezing temperatures since builders ripped out the cladding and insulation outside her flat.

The disabled mum-of-two now battles constant damp and has had to throw away couches as a result. She said: “I can’t stand it anymore. I can’t bend. I’ve got a disability. It’s always wet. I always need to clean. They say they’re doing the job so you can’t complain.

Fatima, 55, said the constant presence of scaffolding and noise made her home feel like a “prison”. The carer, who looks after her disabled 18-year-old daughter, said the works were taking their toll on the family’s mental health.

She said: “My daughter has special needs, and now is on holiday. They never tell me when they’re coming to work so I have sent my daughter to stay with friends.”

A Facebook page set up by Hazlewood residents show the tower plagued with issues of damp and mould that have allegedly surfaced since the build began.

A LawTech spokesman said: “Lawtech has been on site for less than two years. The works we are undertaking is essential safety remediation work to the buildings. Drilling, and consequently noise, is inevitable.”

A council spokesman said: “The replacement of the external wall insulation at Hazlewood Tower is part of our ongoing £350m capital works programme and will help to make residents’ homes safer, warmer and more energy efficient.

“While some disruption is inevitable on a large-scale project such as this, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused to our residents.

“We will continue to work with our contractors to keep any disturbance to a minimum and complete the works as soon as possible.”

Pictured top: Darren Turner at Hazlewood Tower in North Kensington (Picture: LDRS)