Peckham residents’ lives have been thrown into disarray after a council told them to leave their homes within weeks due to fire safety problems in their buildings worsening.
People living in three towers on the Ledbury estate on the Old Kent Road received letters on Wednesday (July 31) from Southwark Council informing them they would have to move out of their flats as soon as possible due to fire risks.
A total of 131 families, the vast majority of whom are in temporary accommodation, will be moved out of the estate in the next few weeks. Many have been living there since the pandemic.
Mum Danielle, 30, who has been living in temporary housing on the estate since 2020, said the news had come as a shock.
Speaking at the estate on Thursday (August 1), she said: “We knew they were demolishing the flats eventually but this was sudden. We got a letter through the door and they said we would have to leave.
“It’s a bit stressful but I’m happy to go because the flats are horrible. It annoys me that they told us yesterday but we haven’t been updated, just left in the dark.”
Jane Appiah, 43, who has been living in temporary housing on the estate since 2021, said having to move at such short notice was stressful.
Speaking on Thursday, she said: “We got a letter yesterday. I went to the office and they said within three weeks we have to leave. I asked them [where I would be rehoused] but they didn’t know.
“I told them that I want to be around the area but they didn’t say if it would be nearby.
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“My only concern is that within three weeks I don’t know how I’m going to manage the packing and everything.”
Stella, 36, another temporary housing tenant who has lived on the estate since 2020, added: “I was told I will hear in three weeks when I went to the office today. I’m a bit worried. The period of time they have given us is a bit short.
“Trying to plan in three weeks with no idea of where we are going, it’s not easy.”
Major problems with cracking and gaps between concrete walls in the estate’s three towers were found in 2017. Emergency works were completed the same year, including the removal of the gas supply and the introduction of 24/7 fire patrols around the buildings .
In 2021, residents voted for the towers to be demolished and replaced with new homes. A total of 340 flats, including 224 council homes are due to be built on the estate as part of the redevelopment. Until the council’s letter this week, residents believed they could remain on the estate until at least early 2025.
Councillor Sarah King, cabinet member for council homes, said the decision to move people out of the estate sooner than expected followed advice from fire consultants, whose risk inspection discovered that existing problems with the three towers had deteriorated.
She said: “When combined with the new problems caused by the storage of lithium batteries needed for e-scooters, which increase the risk of fire, we have agreed that we cannot risk people living in the blocks long-term while we wait for the new homes to be built on site.
“I have so much sympathy for residents who have to uproot themselves from their homes much sooner than expected, but their safety has to be our first priority and it’s not something we can compromise on.”
