By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
The company in charge of the “planning, construction and fit-out designs” of a Mansfield District Council-owned London building found with fire safety concerns has failed to answer questions over how it was created.
The authority, which owns the building in Bedford Road, Clapham, now faces a bill of almost £20m to bring the issues right.
The two companies that brought the building forward can be named for the first time.
It can be revealed the plans were put forward by Oakapple Properties Ltd, a now-liquidated subsidiary of Leeds-based property developer The Oakapple Group.
The wider creation of the building, however, was controlled by the Reading office of the architectural company The Harris Partnership.
In a 2014 press release, The Harris Partnership confirmed it was responsible for planning, constructing and fitting out the building.
It added that the “difficult” project featured “a contemporary approach using traditional materials [and] very good green credentials”.
But when questioned about what methods were used to design, construct and eventually fit out the building, the organisation fell silent and failed to answer a single question.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked whether the company was aware of the building’s fire safety issues and whether it has been in contact with Mansfield District Council since they first came to light.
The organisation was also asked what materials were used when fitting out the building, what regulations it followed to ensure fire safety was protected, and how the building’s compartmentation was designed.
And it was asked to comment on its views about designing a building that has left Mansfield taxpayers footing a bill costing almost £20m.
A spokesperson for the company told the Local Democracy Reporting Service its managing directors were aware of the requests, but the organisation missed numerous deadlines to set out its response.
Several emails and phone calls were made urging the company to provide a statement, but no response was forthcoming.
Working alongside The Harris Partnership on the development was The Oakapple Group – the developer in charge of submitting planning applications to Lambeth Council.
In these documents, there was no mention of fire safety provisions and the organisation did not provide a fire safety risk assessment to council planners.
However, Lambeth Council says this was not a requirement at the time because, when the plans were first submitted, fire safety was not a material planning issue.
Philip Taylor, The Oakapple Group’s chairman, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This situation is not one we are aware of, and we have had no involvement in the process which has resulted in this outcome.”
When questioned on what this statement meant, a company spokesperson said Oakapple has “had no involvement” with any party since the fire safety concerns came to light.
However, the organisation did not comment on whether it was involved in issues that led to the problem coming to light in the first place.
The spokesperson said: “Oakapple has had no involvement with any party on the fire safety issues identified after the purchase by the council.
“We cannot, therefore, comment on these subsequent events.”
Neither organisation answered the Local Democracy Reporting Service’s questions on the sign-off process, nor did they outline what safeguards were provided during planning and construction to protect fire safety.
But when questioned on the sign-off process, Lambeth Council confirmed this approval was made by a private, independent assessor.
The Labour-led authority outlined how the building was assessed on standards and regulations relevant at the time.
And it has confirmed changes to regulations since the Grenfell Tower disaster in June 2017 have meant more emphasis was placed on fire safety for high-rise residential blocks.
The Mansfield District Council-owned building includes business space on the ground floor and 40 apartments above, spread across three blocks.
It was first given planning permission by Lambeth Council in 2012 before construction was eventually completed in 2017 – the same year it was sold to the council for £5.95m.
But an independent investigation conducted on the building in 2018 identified a number of fire safety concerns inside.
It followed concerns about high-rise accommodation raised following the Grenfell disaster.
(Picture: Natalie Oxford, cc-by-sa-4.0)
The investigation found issues with compartmentalisation between flats, with residents saying “issues inside the walls” mean it would be more difficult to contain a fire and prevent it from spreading once it had caught alight.
The London Fire Brigade then issued a notice of fire safety deficiencies in 2021 after finding a number of breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
These included the absence of 60 minutes’ fire resistance protection for escape routes in corridors, lobbies and stairs, as well as deficiencies in the fire resistance of materials used in protected routes and entrance doors.
There were also issues with fire exits in the basement car park, which need a key fob to operate.
In its recommendations, the fire brigade said repair work and actions to fix the problems should be carried out by May 2024.
Repair work will require residents in all 40 flats to leave their homes for up to a year so the walls, floors and ceilings can be ripped out and reconstruction work can take place.
Residents in the building have spoken of repeated delays leaving their lives “in limbo”.
Mansfield District Council has insisted it has already taken steps to ensure the building is safe, including employing security and a 24-hour ‘waking watch’ in the event of a fire catching alight.
And it has planned a programme of work to eventually bring the issues right.
Financial papers show the wider repair project is expected to cost £19.691m between 2018 and 2025.
This includes £4.98m allocated in the 2022/23 budget, with £7.296m budgeted for 2023/24 and a further £6.472m in 2024/25.
Previous spending of £943,956, revealed through a Freedom of Information request earlier this year, helped to fund “investigation works, enhanced security and insurance premiums”.
But an inside source at the council has raised doubts over whether the authority will ever see this money again.
The council says it is “exploring all avenues” to recoup money from the works and insists actions have been taken to remedy the issues.
A spokesperson said: “The council has worked co-operatively with the London Fire Brigade and with tenants to ensure additional temporary fire protection measures are in place, so the property is safe to occupy until the remedial works have been completed.
“The council, as a responsible landlord and property owner, has undertaken an extensive investigation into the fire safety issues at the property and determined a programme of required works to remedy the concerns.
“In the meantime, the council is satisfied it has taken all necessary steps to ensure the immediate safety of its tenants and the building is safe to occupy.
“Rest assured, we as a responsible landlord have always put safety first and will continue to do so until the remedial works at the property are complete.”
