Harlow's Sycamore Field flats to be demolished over fire safety fears

Residents of the flats at Sycamore Field have been informed of the plan, the council said

Councillors have agreed to demolish a block of flats over fire safety fears.

Combustible materials were found in the external walls of the Sycamore Field flats in Harlow, Essex, during checks following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Conservative-run Harlow Council said it would cost £5.5m to remedy that, but the building would remain uninsurable.

Leader Dan Swords said the council would do "everything possible to support those affected", but admitted it could have communicated better.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Thursday night, Mr Swords said: "No-one wants to be in this scenario and to decide whether to demolish someone's home or not, but I don't think there is an alternative.

"What we will do is go above and beyond to support all those we can."

'Uninsurable'

Work will begin to remove council tenants from the Sycamore Field flats

Of the 54 homes at Sycamore Field, 34 are occupied by leaseholders - 14 of which are private renters - and 15 are lived in by council tenants. Five homes are empty.

Work will begin to remove council tenants, while negotiating financial support for those affected.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service first identified problems in December 2020 and issued enforcement notices in April 2023, setting a deadline of October 2024 to put things right.

Thursday's cabinet meeting was told the building's current state made it "uninsurable", even if remedial work was carried out, while leaseholders who owned their flats would face a bill of £110,000 each to make improvements.

"That is not a million miles away from the value of the properties. That is not a tenable position to put leaseholders in," said Mr Swords.

"Harlow Council will never be able to insure these blocks, regardless of how much money is spent on them. And there is no guarantee that it would pass the next assessment by the fire service," he added.

Council leader Dan Swords said there was "no alternative" to demolishing the flats

Residents and councillors put questions to the meeting about the provision of alternative housing, particularly for vulnerable or disabled people.

Leaseholder Zoe Woodsmith complained that she was being forced to continue paying council tax and service charges on an empty property after her sale fell through "because of the notice of demolition".

"The council also since sent me a letter stating they will double my council tax come the summer if I leave it empty," she said.

David Carter, councillor for housing, said exemptions were made for paying council tax "in certain circumstances", but that service charges would continue "regardless of occupation".

Council tenants forced to leave their homes would be moved to the top of the housing list, but no guarantees were made on private renters.

One-to-one meetings are set to take place over the next few weeks to enable residents to make their case.

Mr Swords said he had met some residents at the end of 2023 and had "apologised for the fact that to date our communication had not been good enough and that needed to change".

The cleared site would not be sold to developers, but regenerated by the council in a process that would likely take several years, with no plans yet in place, the meeting heard.