All ten of Havering’s older high-rise residential buildings are set for fire safety works, if the proposals are approved at a council cabinet meeting next Wednesday (March 9).
These are Elizabeth House, Mountbatten House, Victoria House, and Edinburgh House in Gidea Park; Uphavering House, Overstand House and Parkview House in Hornchurch; Kipling Towers and Dryden Towers in Harold Hill; and Highfield Tower in Collier Row.
The works aim to ensure the “continued safety” of the council’s high-rise flat blocks, and are expected to cost £13.4 million.
It comes after the Building Safety Act 2022 was implemented in October 2023 after the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.
Under this act, Havering Council must register and prepare a safety case file for each of its residential buildings taller than 18 metres.
A report prepared ahead of the cabinet meeting next week reveals that the council could face “fines and charges” if it does not deliver the safety works required by the act.
According to the report, the proposed works include installing new ventilation systems, sprinkler systems and smoke alarms, as well as replacing non-compliant window panels.
It calls the works “varied and complex” and says that in some cases they “may be disruptive to residents”.
“They will therefore be difficult to design and manage, and a significant amount of effort will need to be focused on resident communications and liaison,” the report added.
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The council said in the report it is working on a “tight timeline”, with works expected to start in April 2026 and finish by May 2027.
It has already appointed construction consultancy firm Calfordseaden LLP to deliver the works, who are developing outline designs for the improvements at each of the ten buildings.
Highfield Tower, in Collier Row, appears to be the first block set for improvement works, with the renewal of its cladding and the replacement of its roofing also on the agenda at the cabinet meeting on March 9.
