Construction fears force immediate evacuation of London estate

Aaron Morby 4 years ago
Share

Over 1,000 residents at a six-block housing and student accommodation development in West London are being evacuated from the buildings over fears about fire risks.

Paragon student and housing estate in Brentford
Paragon student and housing estate in Brentford

London housing association Notting Hill Genesis is to undertake a comprehensive safety review across all blocks at the £100m Paragon estate following expert advice that the construction of the buildings may be putting residents at risk.

The Paragon Estate in Brentford, Hounslow was developed by Berkeley First, part of Berkeley Group.

When built in 2007, the scheme which includes blocks ranging from 4-17 storeys, was hailed as one of the tallest modular buildings in the world.

The Enquirer reported about fire safety concerns when they first emerged at the end of 2017 due to post-Grenfell checks, prompting NHG to embark on an £8m programme to remove dangerous cladding and replace missing fire breaks.

This triggered a series of safety checks at Paragon, undertaken by technical consultants, which have each revealed further problems with this development.

Further investigations are now taking place to establish the full extent of the structural and fire safety issues that have been uncovered at the development and identify next steps.

The six blocks consist of:

• Block A – a five-storey building consisting of 41 units of intermediate market rent.
• Block B – three interconnected buildings of four, five and nine storeys with 107 shared ownership leasehold units and 72 intermediate rent.
• Blocks C, D, E and F – 17, 12, 12 and five-storeys respectively, hold a combined 839 units of student accommodation which is occupied by students nominated by the University of West London.

Kate Davies, group chief executive of Notting Hill Genesis, said: “I understand that Paragon residents may feel angry or alarmed by this news, as they have every right to be. This is a very distressing time and we are genuinely sorry for the huge amount of disruption and uncertainty that this situation will cause.

“This is a complex situation and we don’t yet have all the answers. We are working to uncover the full extent of the issues at Paragon so that we can provide residents with clarity about timescales, next steps and options as quickly as possible.

“We are doing all we can to support people who live in Paragon through this difficult situation.”

Latest news

Willmott Dixon lands Dover town centre revamp

Alliance agreed to regenerate several key council sites
1 hour ago

Go-ahead for London City office-to-flats scheme

Hub's 150 Minories job in Aldgate to create 280 co-living homes
3 hours ago

Wates mobilises as £200m Middlesbrough scheme approved

Gresham Street scheme includes a hotel, 240 flats and over 400 student rooms
4 hours ago

Crashed M&E contractor TNA owed supply chain £7m

Sister company buys assets including company vans
10 hours ago

Renaker eyes bumper 2025 despite Gateway 2 concern

Strong construction pipeline to support another record year
9 hours ago

Wessex Water picks civils firms for £65m framework

Over 40 smaller firms will support AMP8 civils spending programme
10 hours ago

Green light for nearly 400 flats at Leeds scheme

Three blocks up to 18 storeys approved at Armley Road
9 hours ago

Subcontractors wanted across South London

Work up for grabs from main contractors and clients: Register now for Constructionline event
10 hours ago

Heavy lorry ban on Severn Bridge as cables deteriorate

Crossing "not designed and built for today’s levels or weight of traffic"
10 hours ago

Muse submits Oldham town centre regeneration plan

Plan advances for six sites to deliver 2000 homes, an hotel and office space
3 days ago

Construction returns to growth after two tough months

Concern grows Trump turmoil is spooking property investors
3 days ago

Skanska wins £43m Clifton Bridge deal

Contractors says scheme is a "complex project that will be delivered to tight timescales"
3 days ago

Green light for 44-storey Manchester resi tower

Developer Glenbrook to start hunt for main contractor
4 days ago

Ten win £670m Network Rail eastern region small works deal

CK Rail, QTS, Colt and Construction Marine pick up two lots
4 days ago

Mears aims to dominate in compliance and housing upkeep

Firm hails 100% rebid success on a slew of major contract renewals
4 days ago

Investigation after two track workers hit by wagon

Accident in Glasgow during engineering possession
3 days ago

Durkan finance chief joins house builder Thakeham

Paul Kimber confirmed as new Chief Financial Officer
3 days ago

Water win sees Mott MacDonald Bentley hunt for new staff

Recruitment event for the South of England: Register now
4 days ago

Labour master VAT fraudsters target subcontractors

Tax authorities looking to clamp down on payroll fraud
4 days ago

Domis to start this year on £350m Nobu towers

Developer Salboy gains planning for Viadux second phase in Manchester
3 days ago

Phoenix ME rides out ISG collapse with record 74% turnover surge

Pre-tax profit up after Phoenix re-engaged on all former ISG jobs
4 days ago

£200m Viking onshore pipeline project approved

55km underground pipeline to be built from Immingham to Theddlethorpe
4 days ago

Plans in for Bristol Brabazon over-station office block

YTL Construction UK to build 8-storey office block
4 days ago

Mace confirmed for £200m London City office retrofit

Four upper floors to be added to 65 Gresham Street
4 days ago

Lindum profit jumps 28% as turnover nears £200m

507 staff shareholders share in strong year as pre-tax profit hits £10.4m
5 days ago

Universal to build theme park in Bedford

Work to start next year creating 20,000 construction jobs
5 days ago

Go-ahead for £400m Cambridge sewage treatment works

Major greenbelt project pivotal to 8,000-home North East Cambridge scheme
5 days ago

Erith pays down bid-rigging fine over two years early

Total employee ownership bonuses top £5.3m for nearly 450 staff
5 days ago

Network Rail property JV to deliver Cambridge North homes

Blockwork will deliver over 400 homes around local station
5 days ago

Construction worker dies on Essex site

Fatal accident at housing job run by Rose Builders
6 days ago

Contractor services