Flat owner fears lives at risk after London fire

Peter Larwood lives in Cardiff Bay's Victoria Wharf complex, which has been found to have fire defects

A flat owner has said he fears lives in his building are at risk following a recent tower block fire in east London.

Peter Larwood is leaseholder of a flat at the Victoria Wharf development in Cardiff Bay, where work to remove cladding has been delayed.

He has accused developer Taylor Wimpey of giving "mediocre" excuses for why work has not started.

Taylor Wimpey has said that a contractor has now been appointed and promised that work will begin in October.

A letter sent by Taylor Wimpey, seen by the BBC, suggests that previously promised dates to start work have been missed twice.

Completed in 2008, Victoria Wharf is one of many buildings in the UK found to have fire safety defects in the wake of the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.

Victoria Wharf was found to have fire defects some years ago

One such tower block in Dagenham was gutted by fire at the weekend, where more than 100 people were evacuated from the building and two were taken to hospital.

Investigators are trying to find the cause and fire officers have said the role played by the cladding would form part of the investigation.

In 2019, a fire survey at Victoria Wharf found cladding on the outside of some of the flats was not safe, with missing fire barriers to prevent fire spreading and highly flammable polystyrene in the insulation.

Mr Larwood said all of the external wall cladding has to be removed, along with the materials behind the building's facades, and replaced.

Residents at the block have faced higher charges. One resident in 2021 said they had to sell for £50,000 less than their flat had been valued before the fire safety issues were identified.

'Mediocre excuses inexcusable'

Mr Larwood, 74, who has lived in Victoria Wharf for six years, told Taylor Wimpey in a letter that the Dagenham fire "highlights the way residents are still at risk until work is completed".

“Taylor Wimpey, along with the managing agents FirstPort, and the freeholder E&M, have pontificated for far too long over the work required at VW."

He accused them of "constant delay tactics", adding: "The mediocre excuses put forward for such delay is inexcusable."

“Stop putting innocent people’s lives at risk, from the very failings Taylor Wimpey themselves created, by not doing things properly in the first place."

Mr Larwood, a retired fraud investigator, told BBC Wales: “The trouble is, the Dagenham fire has destroyed 80 homes.

"When you see something like that happen it brings it home to you that something has to be done.

“It makes you think something like this could happen here. We pray it doesn’t."

Mr Larwood said charges from management company First Port have doubled and he now pays £4,560 annually for a two bed apartment and some three beds are nearly £7,000.

A Taylor Wimpey letter, sent to Mr Larwood in October 2023 and seen by BBC Wales, said that the company had promised to begin work at the flats in December of that year.

"Unfortunately, this will now be pushed to the first quarter of 2024," the letter said.

The first quarter of 2024 ended on 31 March.

One reason given for the delay is that, as Taylor Wimpey does not own the buildings, contracts with organisations responsible for the complex had to be agreed before the work could begin.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “Our priority has always been to undertake the remedial works at Victoria Wharf as soon as we received the necessary permissions from the freeholder and managing agent.

"We have actively worked with the Welsh government to expedite this process, and as a result we have now secured those necessary permissions and have appointed a contractor to commence works on-site in October.

"We fully appreciate the very real concerns of leaseholders, and we will continue to work hard to get these works completed as soon as practicable.”

BBC Wales was told that work can start once preparatory work such as scaffold design and health and safety documentation is complete.

A spokesperson for E&M said: “Taylor Wimpey is leading the remedial works at Victoria Wharf having signed the [Welsh] government’s developer pledge.

“We are in regular dialogue with Taylor Wimpey and FirstPort who we understand are working hard to ensure that remedial works at Victoria Wharf start as soon as possible."

A spokesperson for property management company FirstPort said: "As the management company, we have been working closely with Taylor Wimpey and the building owner in relation to the remedial works at Victoria Wharf, which are expected to commence in October.

"We continue to provide support and regular updates to homeowners. We recognise the challenges facing homeowners and we always endeavour to keep service charge costs as reasonable as possible, while working to resolve the issues as a priority.”