A delay in works taking place at the isle’s tower blocks has led to frustration for residents at being ‘locked in like prisoners’ for even longer than the predicted 18 months to two years timeline.
The blocks are part of a £40 million retrofit scheme by Thanet council aimed at improving building safety with cladding replacement and better energy efficiency and air quality for residents at Trove Court and Kennedy House, Harbour Towers and Staner Court in Ramsgate and Invicta House in Margate.
But residents at Trove and Kennedy say ‘months of delays’ are extending their ‘imprisonment’ behind scaffolding, with balcony doors screwed up and windows restricted to an opening of around six centimetres while the refurbishment is carried out.
The works are scheduled to take between 18 months and two years but have been hit by delays while Thanet council awaits approval from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).
Scaffolding on the two buildings was installed in June 2025 for Trove Court and July for Kennedy House. The original timeline scheduled removal for April and May next year. A question about what the latest timeline is has not been answered.
Ventilation systems that were due to be installed at the Newcastle Hill tower blocks in the Spring still haven’t been approved. The installation of new cladding is also held up as that too awaits BSR approval.
One frustrated resident said the window and balcony restrictions during the hot summer were ‘suffocating’ with a halt in works meaning they can see no end to the misery.
They added: “It’s been almost eight months since they did any works, apparently they haven’t got permission.
“The ventilation systems that were supposed to be put in place by spring haven’t happened, new windows haven’t been approved, it’s a right crap show.
“There’ been no communication and the newsletters we get are not very informative at all.
“Almost eight months of nothing and we are still locked in like prisoners.”
Another Trove Court resident said they were disgusted to receive a letter warning that tampering with the window restrictors would mean TDC will “have no choice but to install a permanently fixed scaffold bar across the window.”
The resident added: “We have asked the council for a rent reduction based on the loss of amenities right from the start and they refused
“And TDC say the window opening is 6cm but the actual amount of airflow gap is more like 1-2cm.”
Invicta House
At Invicta House in Margate, Ian Gray says he is one of the residents concerned about the installation of window restrictors and the closing of balcony access with no sign of any more work taking place.
He added: “It’s really bad and is affecting my mental health.”
Invicta House was scheduled for scaffolding to be installed in March this year with a removal date of October 2027. The July newsletter for Invicta residents said there were reports of ‘unauthorised persons climbing the scaffolding.’
Thanet council previously said the restriction on windows and balconies was a safety measure “to limit the potential for dust and flammable materials to get inside the building while the external wall insulation is removed.”
Council news letters are published for each of the blocks to update residents on the works taking place.
Building Safety Regulator delays
Delays in high rise applications needing approval from the BSR are hitting projects across the country due to rules for buildings over 18 metres (HRBs) under the 2022 Building Safety Act.
The legislation stipulates that remediation or new-build HRB schemes must seek approval from the BSR at three separate “gateway” points: planning approval; prior to construction; and prior to occupation.
The target time for decision is eight to 12 weeks but projects are reportedly waiting 36 weeks and longer due to backlogs exacerbated by a shortage of skilled building inspectors, submissions failing to meet the strict safety criteria and incomplete applications. There have been high rejection rates for applications, increasing the backlog.
BSR has put several actions in place, including new dedicated teams, in a bid to bring down waiting times.
The BSR latest transparency data for the 12-week rolling period to 31 August shows overall gateway 2 application approvals rising to 84%, up from 82% in the previous period, with more than 18,000 residential units clearing the gateway.
Over the same period, existing building remediation approvals also climbed to 89% nationally (up from 85%) and 96% in London (up from 92%).
BSR determined 118 remediation applications over the 12-week rolling period, approving 105 projects (an 89% national approval rate) representing 8,667 residential units.
BSR has also reduced outstanding legacy applications in the system. The volume of remediation cases dating from 2024 has fallen from 42 at the start of the year to 12.
Cllr Helen Whitehead, Cabinet Member for Housing at Thanet District Council, said: “We appreciate the patience residents, at Kennedy House, Trove Court, and Invicta House, have shown while essential safety works are carried out. We take all complaints from residents regarding our properties seriously and we will ensure that they are addressed.
“The installation of the new ventilation systems at Kennedy House and Trove Court was originally planned for spring 2026. However, this has experienced delays due to requiring approval from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), who are currently assessing high rise applications from across the country.
“Under strict safety legislation, this work cannot start without formal approval from the BSR. We are in constant contact with them and expect this approval soon, but while we are waiting we are completing proactive works to prepare for the next steps.
“The installation of the new cladding systems is dependent on BSR approval but we have removed the old cladding system using an emergency works notice due to the fire risk.
“We are also able to carry out work where their approval is not required; for example, conducting surveys for concrete repairs and completing the minor concrete repairs.
“This prepares the building for installation of the new cladding once the BSR approves our applications.
“Cladding removal at Invicta House started at the end of July. This is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of October. Cladding has been removed from Kennedy House and Trove Court and concrete repairs are due to start.
“So we can move as quickly as possible once regulatory approval is granted, we are proactively conducting individual property surveys now. This avoids the need for post-approval bespoke designs and allows contractors to proceed directly to installation.
“The window restrictors currently in place comply with UK Building Control guidance. They are there to protect residents and prevent unauthorised access to the scaffolding.
“I fully understand the frustrations around the restrictors, but we have a duty to keep households safe and ensure that access to the scaffolding is not possible, as the potential risk of open scaffolding is extremely high. We have worked with residents who have requested medical exemptions, and we will continue to, if or when needed.
“We issue regular written updates to residents and each block has a direct contact for any questions or requested updates on the works.”
Project costs
The cost of the work at Invicta House, Harbour Towers, Kennedy House, Staner Court and Trove Court is £40 million.
Of the £40 million bill for the project, about £11.7 million comes from TDC’s Housing Revenue Account budget (including the leaseholder’s payments). The government is contributing £24.3 million from its Building Safety Fund and another £4.25 million from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
Homes England – another government body – will reimburse TDC for the cost of the external wall insulation works.
Driving into Ramsgate, its all your eyes are drawn to. Its unsightly and wholly cheapens the area.
The scaffolding at Mr Simms sweet shop in Harbour Street has been up for around 5 years now and never any work going on.
Its ridiculous that scaffolding can be up that long with no work being done
“The scaffolding at Mr Simms sweet shop in Harbour Street has been up for around 5 years”.
Is that Charles Dickens?
Grim. Surprised no one has gone all Michael Douglas in Falling Down living in that misery.
Difficult to have any sympathy for residents ( other than leaseholders) who are having around £100,000 spent on each of their homes at no cost to themselves. All funded by the taxpayer. Makes a mockery of keeping social rents so low, or the argument that social housing saves money in the long run. Does anyone know what the rents are in these blocks? Rather expect there’d be many amongst us who’d like to have a roof over their heads subsidised to the same degree.
People really should be a bit more resilient and appreciate what they are receiving.
Lol yeah blame the residents for living in a giant fire hazard. Stupid residents.
Can you give an example of where an insulation system consisting of polystyrene covered with render has caused a significant fire?
Plus where did i blame tenants for where they lived? I was commenting on people complaining about having their housing extensively improved at no cost to themselves.
Why do you feel the taxpayer should foot all the costs , a little extra on the rent would’nt be a bad thing to help contribute to having better housing.
The biggest fire hazard in the blocks are the minority irresponsible residents that live there. But they get a free pass and don’t get held to account. The rest of us pay to deal with the problems they create instead.
The whole mess arises from the failures of social housing ( grenfell and lakanal in particular) to mange itself properly, then knee jerk legislation is bought in that is then in turn difficult to comply with. But no one cares because the taxpayer is footing the bill.
You’d be better off asking TDC why works commenced before all the paperwork was in place. The final costs are going to be horrendous, when these works were first proposed the costs were estimated at £12 million, a search should bring an article up on IoTN. Given we’re now at 40 and likely to climb with the delays, i’ll put finger in the air and say 60 by time its all done.
How anyone can complain at having £150k spent on them is beyond me.
I agree with you that TDC should’ve had all paperwork ect in place before work started but try living in what essentially is a giant kiln ,suffocating in the heat with no air flow. It’s Brutal.
On that front i have sympathy, were tdc contacted and informed of the problem? Were temperatures and humidity levels recorded in flats and where necessary solutions provided?
You seem to think know rather a lot about the financial affairs and personal circumstances of the residents of Trove and Kenedy court. I think it’s shocking that they are having to live like this for so long.
True i have’ t me tioned the plight of leaseholders, who are in a very different situation not of their making and are effectively punished for some of the previous decisions taken in respect of the building.
The public sector is notoriously inefficient and poorly organised, very few projects go as planned and to schedule. Throw tdc into the mix and it’ll inevitably be much worse. Largely necause nobody involved will ne directly affected by their decisions and neither will they be held to account when it goes wrong. As a result things get a bit slapdash, more effort goes imto making sure no one can be blamed for anything.
Whenever Ms. Whitehead is involved it nearly always ends in chaos.
TDC could show goodwill by refunding the residents’ council tax for one year. Plus a Christmas cash bonus! For help with heating costs, while waiting for new external insulation.
No way, they all ready get cheap rent.
They are still using services like NHS, police, schools, etc.
It might well be that many of those innthe towers don’t pay any council tax anyway, tdc council tax support exempts around 10% of thanet households already.
The new building safety regulator, is a really positive development, in the housing industry, regarding high-rise properties. The Building Safety Act 2022, should be welcomed by all stakeholders. Providing Thanet council have their submission correctly submitted, there should be no problems in authorising the proposed work. Hopefully, Thanet council have followed all the guidance documents online regarding their submission, and what is required. As for the tenants they should be thankful, for free housing via Housing Benefit, in the majority of cases. Plus, all this taxpayers money spent on the accommodation. When all the works are finished, they will have a safer and more pleasant living environment, which has to be welcomed.
Unless other issues crop up.
These blocks of flats are old and have around a 50 to 60 year lifespan. They are in the end stages of functional life so spending millions of pounds is not the right thing to do. They need inspecting structurally though.
Under the new rules there’ll have been allsorts of inspections and reports undertaken. If looked after the towers have many decades of life in them. They will certainly need to last a good number of years given the amount that’s been spent on them.
Scaffolding on the balconies at Rotal crescent was for 3 months ended up 10 yrs . Got replaced twice because the boards wer rotten . Looking at the works that was done the handrails are already rusting theve only been up for about 6 months .
Buy cheap buy twice .
Tdc would have been better off buying new properties at westwood cross and selling royal crescent off, the sums needed to bring it upto standard after the decades of neglect , compounded by it being listed, have been considerable , not helped by the deals done with leasholders (though i doubt many if any could have paid the bills they were sent).
Be interesting to see what the final cost of sorting the place comes out at.
Knocking them down is throwing good money after bad. Use the money on buyin dem new 2-beds, Nock the i-sores down and auktion the land.