Residents told not to use balconies in new flats after one collapses into street

14 November 2023 , 20:34

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A balcony collapsed on Saturday night in Barking, East London, leaving more than 400 homes 'unsafe' (Image: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY)

A housing company providing new-built homes has warned families not to use the balconies in their new build £300,000 flats after one collapsed on to the street below.

A balcony collapsed on Saturday night in Barking, East London, leaving more than 400 homes "unsafe." Now, residents have been ordered by Barking and Dagenham Council's affordable housing company BD Reside not to use their balconies until further notice.

Matt Lismore shared a shocking photo of the collapse at the Gascoigne East estate, which is an £81 million development built by Paris-based engineering company Bouygues. The 29-year-old tweeted: "Yesterday evening a balcony collapsed on to the street in my apartment building, just four years after construction. All 414 properties are now considered ''unsafe'' and we will need to erect scaffolding across the entire estate to keep ourselves and the public safe."

New build properties have been plagued with problems in the past (STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY)

According to Mail Online, the letter, sent by Steve Thorn from BD Reside said: "You will no doubt be aware of the collapse of the façade on a balcony in Net Street on Saturday. Reside staff were on site on Sunday together with EVO, our repairs contractor, to assess the site and agree actions. Following that attendance, I was on site today with Bouygues and L&Q and as a result of our findings, we have instructed EVO to arrange works to reduce the risk to residents until we have clear assurance that all balconies on the estate are safe."

It continues: "We are now asking residents not to use their balconies until further notice. We recognise that the incident on Saturday is very worrying, and residents will want to understand what happens next so that we can ensure that all the balconies are safe. We will provide updates on next steps as soon as we are able."

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New build properties have been plagued with problems in the past, with residents claiming they've faced problems since moving in. For instance, families living in part of Southport, Merseyside, have previously complained over problems which they say have arisen in their properties.

Claims include issues over gardens and roads flooding, problems with kitchen appliances and the standard of finish in some homes.. Julia Myers moved to the estate in 2021 and told Liverpool Echo her flat has been plagued with problems since the start, and says she has been waiting for two years to have them fixed.

She said: "It has been one thing on top of another here. The doors and windows never fit properly and there has been a draught since I moved in. They have used a cheap pull cord for the showers and they stop working after you have pulled them a few times."

Zesha Saleem