Thanet council is to serve a Hazard Awareness Notice on Arlington House leaseholder Metropolitan Property Realization Ltd.
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has also notified Thanet council of structure and fire safety concerns at the All Saints Avenue block.
Arlington House is an 18 storey high-rise tower block which contains 142 residential flats. Thanet council says the property is ‘privately owned’ by Metropolitan Property Realization Limited (MPRL) and that company is responsible for the structure and fire safety arrangements.
MPRL holds the land on a 199 year lease, which has 140 years left to run. The land was initially leased from Margate Borough Council, and arrangements passed on to Thanet District Council when it was formed.
Under the Building Safety Act, owners of high rise residential buildings must submit a safety case report to the BSR upon request and the accountable person for Arlington House was required to apply for a Building Assessment Certificate (BAC). The BSR checks these applications to ensure legal duties regarding fire safety and structural integrity are met but the submission by MPRL raised concerns, which resulted in the council, BSR and the Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) working together to further investigate.
A joint site visit was undertaken on Friday 7 March 20, involving Thanet council and KFRS, which is supporting the Building Safety Regulator on the fire safety arrangements. MPRL also attended.
The council has regulatory powers which can require MPRL to take action to address health and safety hazards. TDC has written to MPRL raising the issues and setting out some initial actions that have to be carried out, which include a full structural survey and the erection of scaffolding around the building. The scaffolding is to protect residents.
Additionally, the council has asked MPRL to ensure residents are properly informed about the condition of the building and safety arrangements in place.
The council also carried out a formal inspection of the shared areas of the building on Wednesday 2 April and is in the process of drafting a Hazard Awareness Notice that will be served on MPRL.
Following a meeting with the fire service, MPRL reviewed and changed the fire strategy for the building and will be responsible for managing evacuation of all residents in the event of a fire. The company has implemented a revised approach supported by a 24-hour waking watch service. This service is already in place to alert residents in an emergency and assist with a safe evacuation if necessary.
The Building Safety Regulator has taken enforcement action requiring MPRL to undertake a full structural survey by 14 July and a full fire safety compartmentation survey by 14 August. The Building Safety Act requires that these notices are displayed prominently within the building.
Cllr Helen Whitehead, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “The safety of residents in all sectors, including private sector housing, is our priority as a council. We will continue to ensure that MPRL does everything that is required to protect and support the residents, and we will continue our direct dialogue with Arlington House Residents’ Association to provide independent support.”
Residents at Arlington House have been contacted by MPRL about the change of fire strategy and waking watch service and the council is pressing MPRL to ensure regular communication with residents is issued.
In 2019 an enforcement notice was served by the fire service for fifteen fire safety failures at the block.
If only it had a demolition order.
If only you had a gagging order.
I feel the same about bungalows. I hate them. They should all be demolished.
I don’t like them either. They’re for lazy people who don’t like stairs.
Or can’t get up or down them like me Checksfield! I had a 4 bed 2 bathroom house once, but the stairs are a major obstacle when your legs no longer work! Besides, I am having the greatest of truoble finding a cleaning lady for my bungalow, imagine how hard it would be if I still lived in a 3 story house! I hope you moaning mini’s don’t need to live on a ground floor when you get older, and are disabled!
I got my mum a stairlift. It drove her up the wall!
Peter – or like my wife is, disabled! I am surpised at your comment.
Macawber- if I were someone who couldn’t use stairs, I’d probably want to move to a bungalow.
demolition of that awful blot on the landscape is long overdue , the whole of that area needs redoveloping and bring up to scratch – its an awful place
If Arlington House needs to be made safer then that’s what should happen. Some people’s dislike of it does not mean that it should be demolished .
Agreed.
It is years of neglect by both TDC and Met Prop that have led to this situation.
TDC has failed to enforce the repairing covenants in the head lease with Met Prop.
Met Prop undertook a survey a decade ago that clearly highlighted the need for structural repairs. No such repairs were undertaken.
TDC gave Building Regs approval to alter the fire alarm in 2021 but Met Prop did not bother to carry out the work. It is still not complete.
Lessees of the flats are now being charged for :
Scaffolding to prevent injury from spalling concrete
Insurance premiums that have more than doubled
£48,000 a month for the waking watch
It would boost tourism if it was demolished.
Interesting change of name for the leaseholder.🤔
It used to be named Daejan. Part of the Freshwater group of companies. Which has fingers in more pies than you knew existed. Check them out on the Companies House registers. Things got very murky when they were involved with Tesco plans to built a store in Arlington Arcade. Luckily, Tesco shot itself in the foot with its venture into China.
Incorrect information from Mr Webb.
The leaseholder has never been Daejan. The lease was sold by Sunley to Metropolitan Property Realizations Ltd in around 1969.
Metropolitan Property Realizations Ltd granted an underlease to Deritend Investments (Birkdale) Ltd for a couple of years around the time of the Tesco debacle. Both companies operate under the Freshwater umbrella.
The underlease was retracted and reverted to Metropolitan Property Realizations Ltd.
Freshwater Group.
Now do a little research on Daejan.
It’s interesting that cnllr whitehead has now had a change of heart , as I know building safety and other issues were raised with cnllr whitehead a number of years ago on numerous occasions which she failed to act on and totally ignored then.
Now she says safety of residents at AH is a priority,
Can she and others in her cabinet explain why they have done nothing in support Ah residents in the past when requested.
Perhaps it’s got worse?
It’s interesting that you say that, considering that it’s completely incorrect.
You’re very welcome to email me with what you state was raised; I’ll be very happy to respond to it.
I’ll email over copies of earlier correspondence to jog your memory.
An accident waiting to happen sadly. Did we learn nothing from Grenfell? 😥
Yeah we learned a lot from Grenfell! How to deny, defend, blame, look the other way, deflect, confuse, the list goes on.
No we have learned nothing.
Cnllr whitehead you’ve now had copies of the emails just apologise publicly for your and your colleagues inaction and be done with it.