Camden Council orders 800 households to evacuate 'immediately' amid tower block cladding safety fears

Chloe Chaplain23 June 2017

More than 800 households in a Camden estate have been told they must evacuate their homes "immediately" amid concerns over the safety of the cladding.

Residents living in five tower blocks on the Chalcots Estate in Swiss Cottage have been ordered to leave their flats and will be housed in temporary accommodation following a safety inspection carried out with London Fire Brigade.

The council said it is undertaking "urgent safety works so that residents can be fully assures of their safety" after it emerged the cladding on the buildings is not fire retardant.

Officials are knocking on the doors of all flats in five towers on the estate - Taplow, Burnham, Bray, Blashford and Dorney - and evacuating them one at a time.

Disgruntled or frightened residents spilled out of the buildings as it began to get dark - some clutching pillows or carrying bags of belongings.

Evacuation: Residents have been told they cannot stay in their homes tonight
PA

They have been told to seek housing with friends and family and those who are not able to will be offered refuge by the council.

Anyone who needs to return to their home will be able to do so under escort from a fire-fighter.

The works, which were announced following a council meeting with residents on Thursday night, are anticipated to take three to four weeks.

Evacuation: One of the towers on the Chalcots Estate in Camden
PA

On announcing the decision, Camden Council Leader Georgia Gould said the recent Grenfell Tower blaze "changes everything".

Cllr Gould said: “Camden Council is absolutely determined to ensure that our residents are safe and we have promised them that we will work with them, continue to act swiftly and be open and transparent.

“Today the London Fire Brigade completed a joint inspection of the blocks with Camden Council technical experts.

"Together we decided that the Taplow block needs to be temporarily decanted while we undertake urgent fire safety works so that residents can be fully assured of their safety.

"This means that we need to move residents from their homes and into temporary accommodation.

Notting Hill Grenfell Tower Fire - In pictures

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“We anticipate that these works will be completed within three to four weeks.

"We realise that this is hugely distressing for everyone affected and we will be doing all we can, alongside the LFB and other authorities, to support our residents at this difficult time. The Grenfell fire changes everything – we need to do everything we can to keep residents safe."

Anyone with nowhere to stay has been instructed to go to Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre on Saturday.

One resident, Shirley Phillips said she had been given no notice at all about moving out on Friday evening and had simply been told to get a bag together and leave.

Ms Phillips said she had been told to go to a leisure centre where she would be found a place to stay.

She told Sky News: “I think it’s disgusting. We’ve had the fire brigade here all day, Camden council, police.

Grenfell Tower: The fire is believed to have taken hold of the building quickly due to cladding and insulation used
Jeremy Selwyn

“I had a fire safety check today. Why have they left it to 8.30 at night to start getting residents out?

“Where do they think we’re going?”

Michelle Urquhart, who has been living in the estate's Bray tower, told the Press Association: "It's a bit frightening.

Urgent works: Part of the Burnham residential tower on the Chalcots Estate where the cladding has been
AP

"They are talking about evacuating all five blocks. At the moment they haven't done it and they are saying they will knock on everyone's doors when they are ready.

"I don't know where we are going to go. One man in a suit said to me 'you can't stay here tonight'.

"I'm so angry because we had the meeting with the council last night and they tried to reassure us.

'It changes everything': Smoke billows from Grenfell Tower during the fire
Reuters

"We have been living in these flats for the last 10 years with this cladding."

In response to the statement, Mayor Sadiq Khan posted: "I am in close contact with Camden Council, the LFB and the Government about the precautionary measures being taken at the Chalcots Estate in Swiss Cottage.

"Following advice from fire prevention experts at LFB, it has been decided that the best way to keep residents safe is to relocate them tonight, as a precautionary measure.

Evacuation: Video grab taken from Sky News of Camden Council Leader Georgia Gould
Sky news

"There is a particular set of circumstances on this estate that make this necessary. Fire safety checks are ongoing at other estates across the UK.

"I will continue working closely with all London boroughs, the London Fire Brigade and the Government and we will do everything possible to keep all Londoners safe."

And Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted: "My thoughts are with residents being evacuated in Camden while their homes are made safe tonight.

"We will work with and support the emergency services and relevant authorities to safeguard the public.

"Have asked @sajidjavid to keep me regularly updated & ensure we are offering every support we can to residents & those working onsite."

The buildings in north London are made with similar cladding to that used on Grenfell Tower - the scene of a devastating fire in Kensington on June 14.

Refurbishment on the Chalcots estate in Camden was overseen by Rydon, the company involved in the refit of Grenfell, according to the Rydon website.

Evacuation: Residents are being offered temporary accommodation
PA

The work included external thermal rain screen cladding to five towers, new aluminium thermally broken windows to five towers and overhaul of external roofs

A total of 79 people are believed to have been killed in the Grenfell blaze.

Police issued a statement on Friday confirming that the fire had been caused by a faulty fridge-freezer.

The Met said the blaze took hold of the building quickly because of cladding and insulation used that had failed safety checks.

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