By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
Major fire safety repairs to a London apartment building owned by Mansfield District Council are scheduled to begin in November.
It’s as the authority looks to again extend 24-hour security at the building, in Bedford Road, Clapham, for another three-and-a-half months.
The moves follow an independent assessment of the building in 2018 which found “a number of” fire safety issues needed to be addressed.
This included an absence of 60 minutes’ fire safety resistance in materials used across key escape routes, as well as compartmentation issues “inside the walls” which would make it difficult to contain a fire.
Overall, the authority has budgeted about £20m between 2018 and 2025 to bring the issues right despite buying the property as an investment for £5.95m in 2017.
Repairs will lead to residents in all 40 apartments leaving their homes and being moved into temporary accommodation.
A contract worth £2.2m was signed with London-based estate agency Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) earlier this year and will fund all relocation fees for each household.
Once residents have left, the building is expected to be rebuilt internally with floors, walls and ceilings to be ripped out.
This work was initially expected to get underway in August last year before Lambeth Building Control rejected the council’s application due to a lack of information.
Work was then delayed until May this year before the authority again postponed it until “at least September” due to complexities with the scheme.
These included a contractor still not being appointed and the council not receiving building control consent from Lambeth authorities.
But now a new council report has confirmed a start date for the “works phase” – the first time an official and specific date has been published by the authority.
The works are scheduled to take place from November 23 and the council expects this to lead to large portions of the building being closed off.
And next week, Michael Robinson, the authority’s strategic director, will decide whether to extend the services of a 24-hour security firm employed to monitor the site until work begins.
The waking watch security was initially employed in November 2021 to oversee the building after its fire protocols were upgraded to ‘simultaneous evacuation’.
Support Services Group (SSG) Ltd was hired for the security work and has been on-site 24/7 in case a fire breaks out.
Its contract was extended earlier this year for a six-month period and ends next week (Wednesday, August 2). The six-month extension cost £126,561.60.
But Mr Robinson’s delegated decision scheduled for next Wednesday could see the contract extended again for a further 113 days until the work phase begins.
The cost of this extension is not included in the council report and is instead featured in an exempt appendix.
However, based on the original six-month extension, it can be calculated at around £78,000.
The council also plans to enter another waking watch contract from November 24, 2023, which would run until the repair works are completed and is expected to be appointed by November.
In a report published ahead of Mr Robinson’s decision, the council said: “The works phase of the scheme is due to start November 23, 2023.
Read more:
Council facing £20m bill to fix fire safety concerns in apartment building it owns in London
Unanswered questions from company behind council’s London building with £20m fire safety concerns
Former mayors defend investments after council’s nearly £20m bill for London building revealed
Timeline outlined for planned £20m fire safety works at council’s London flats
Residents in Mansfield Council’s London flats with £20m fire safety issues to leave building in May
Mansfield Council’s £20m repairs to London building delayed again until ‘at least September’
Mansfield Council to spend £126k on 24-hour fire security extension at London building
Mansfield Council urged to ‘end sorry saga’ and sell London flats with £20m fire safety issues
“The closure of large parts of the scheme may reduce the number of waking watch staff required to fulfil the frequency of scheme walks.”
Speaking ahead of the decision, Andy Abrahams (Lab), Mansfield’s executive mayor, added: “Mansfield District Council’s priority is always the safety of tenants living in Bedford Road, Clapham.
“On August 2, we will be taking the key decision to go out to procurement for a security contractor who will be responsible for the waking watch and safety measures in the building until remediation works are completed.
“For the safety of residents, we have continued our contract with SSG Support Services Group to allow the security measures in the building for residents to continue whilst we undertake the full procurement exercise.”
It comes just weeks after an opposition leader urged the Labour administration to sell the building off.
