Harlow: 'We're at the council's mercy over unsafe flats'

Emma Blakey told the BBC she had learned more about the flats from journalists than from the council

Two blocks of flats in Harlow will be demolished later this year because essential safety work, which would cost more than £5.5m to complete, would still offer no guarantees in the event of a fire. A resident and a concerned family member spoke to the BBC about the stress of waiting for news on their unsafe home and having to find somewhere else to live.

'We should have been told before we moved in'

Emma Blakey had felt settled at Sycamore Field in Harlow, having lived there as private renter for two years.

She said she loved it for being "quiet and peaceful", until the council employed a "waking watch" - staff who patrol the corridors, day and night, due to the fire risk.

"The neighbours are really good, you just feel comfortable here - or we did," she added.

However, she criticised the council for giving her "very little information" - not just about the plans to now demolish the flats, but about fire safety concerns raised during inspections carried out at least a year before she moved in.

Since 2020, the council has spent £300,000 on remedial work, including blocking off parking under the flats, and £4,000 a week on the "waking watch".

"We actually get more from news sites than from the council," she said.

"We weren't aware that the building work they were doing here recently was anything to do with what they already knew [about the fire risk], back in 2020.

"They said it's been on the noticeboard downstairs but they've not given enough information to us; they've not told us anything or shown us anything.

"I'm frustrated. They should have been more clear."

On top of the £5.5m bill for the council, leaseholders - including the landlord she rents from - would be liable to contribute an estimated £110,000 to the fire safety work, the council said, which is roughly equivalent to the value of each flat.

The flats at Sycamore Field in Harlow will be demolished

Instead, people who have bought a flat at Sycamore Field will get the value of their flat reimbursed, plus compensation.

But Ms Blakey said she had no idea where she stood, as a private renter.

"There is no other rent we can afford in Harlow," she said.

"We need the council to house us, to give us some other option."

Becoming emotional, she added: "It's just anger that we could have been told this before we even moved in here, because they knew in 2020 and the leaseholders probably wouldn't have rented them out.

"Some people have done the flats up with new kitchens and bathrooms

"You settle somewhere, then they just take it off you.

"There are still no answers; we need to know now, not in three months time when they are going to kick us out."

'We seem to be kept at arm's reach'

Richy Williams' elderly mother-in-law, Anita, found out about the proposed demolition a few days after her new fitted kitchen and accessible bathroom were completed

Richy Williams' 73-year-old mother-in-law, Anita, who has mobility issues, moved in to her new home at Sycamore Field a week before Christmas last year.

"She had been searching for a property for a year, and this is ideal," he said.

"My wife and I play an important role in her needs day-to-day.

"She sold her house, moved in and was quite comfortable."

Soon after she moved in, a £20,000 fitted kitchen and accessible bathroom were completed, and a few days later, she received a letter from the council.

"It said she had no choice but to look for alternative accommodation under a compulsory buy," said Mr Williams.

"[We've been] distraught, overwhelmed, especially after finding something she loved.

"It was so difficult to find something that suited her needs and was central to the family.

"It worked perfectly, and works perfectly, so receiving that news, she was devastated.

"Only now that she can talk about it without being emotional overwhelmed; it's been quite difficult."

Anita had her kitchen refitted in the new year, soon after she moved in

He said Anita had not been left with many choices and had her life "thrown upside down" when she had felt comfortable and settled.

"We're at the mercy of the council," he added.

"We haven't even had a contact given to us, we are waiting for letters to come through to tell us what to do next.

"I'm concerned because mobility is very difficult for her and finding somewhere for her to move to her is a challenge.

"We seem to have been kept at arms reach - we've not been given anything to help us try to prepare.

"It's shocking."

He said the planned financial package of the flat value plus compensation for the disruption sounded "fair", but would probably fall short of the the current going rate of other one-bedroom flats.

The council said it was supporting residents of the flat

"The emotional distress is what we are most concerned about.

"We just have to keep her very comfortable."

He said he would consider moving Anita into the family home as soon as possible due to the ongoing fire safety issues.

'Certainty for residents'

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

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

If the work was carried out, there was no guarantee that it would pass a fire safety review and it would not be insurable, the council said.

Council leader Dan Swords said it would do "everything possible to support those affected", but has admitted it could have communicated better.

He said everyone would be contacted "imminently" about a support package that would be "as generous possible", with no-one asked to move out if they had nowhere to move to.

"It's really important, not just for the fire safety aspect but so there is as much certainty as possible for residents affected," he added.