Plumbing the depths – a post-Grenfell estate that is already faltering

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter

When the award winning construction of Kelso Cochrane House was officially opened in May 2024 by Kensington and Chelsea council, it was hailed by a government minister as an “example of new social housing supporting healthy, prosperous neighbourhoods in London”.

The first social homes approved after the Grenfell disaster and the first council homes in the borough in decades, the 38 flats in Kensal Road, North Kensington, were part of the council’s New Homes Programme – a commitment to build 600 “truly affordable” homes post-Grenfell.

When “utility issues” delayed the project in 2023 the council said some “snagging issues” often needed to be resolved with any such building project, “so the homes are up to the highest possible standard when residents move in”.

But less than a year after the first residents got their keys, they say the building has been plagued by issues with the supposedly state-of-the-art plumbing system that have regularly left them without heating or hot water.

Tenants have complained of mould, leaks, a collapsed ceiling, mice scurrying around and a faulty fire alarm system that goes off all hours of the day and night as well as a front door to the block that would not lock. Meanwhile constant issues with the lift mean some feel trapped inside the building due to mobility issues.

Yolande, who moved into a first-floor flat with her granddaughter in July 2024 after a three-year wait on the housing register, said: “I’m done. I just can’t keep up. I have a granddaughter I’m looking after and I have disabilities. I am on a high dose of steroids and I am diabetic. I just can’t go without hot water. It’s depressing.”

Yolande said that as winter approached last year, the heating in her flat stopped working and family resorted to using electric heaters provided by the council to keep warm. She said her electricity bill quickly jumped to £260 a month though the council says it generally reimburses residents for additional costs like these. She also found her shower had no hot water and had to bathe using heated water from her kitchen sink.

The NHS worker was reportedly told by a contractor piping in the building didn’t allow hot water and heating to flow at the same time.

Her neighbour Chris said the slabs connecting Yolande’s balcony to her flat were so unstable it was “like jeopardy” going out there. He said: “You didn’t know which ones would fall through.”

Chris lives on the top floor with his four kids, partner and mother, who he cares for. The family moved in last May after spending six years in a cramped West London flat that had one bathroom and one toilet.

Moving into Kelso Cochrane House seemed a dream come true for the family but within days Chris, a former Royal Air Force infantryman, found the flat was riddled with problems. He rigged a new hose and showerhead to the bath to get hot water.

He says he also had to wait until February – nine months after they moved in – for contractors to fix his heating. He said the family spent most of the winter wearing coats indoors to stay warm. Chris also pinned a thick plastic cover over the children’s windows after they began complaining about the cold seeping through the double-glazed glass.

To make matters worse, the electricity turned off anytime Chris closed the fuse-box flap with a bit of force. Chris’s foster child said: “It’s really annoying. Having a cold shower, you want to relax by having a hot shower but you can’t. It’s atrocious.”

Chris said the fire alarm constantly goes off, causing the lifts to stop working. He believes it’s being triggered by people smoking in the stairwell.

Cllr Sof McVeigh, lead member for housing, said: “We’re very sorry for the issues affecting residents at Kelso Cochrane House and are working as fast as we can to put them right. The fire safety system in the block is working as intended and the alarm was not switched off by the Fire Brigade.

“Unfortunately there was a leak in the building which has now stopped, our team is tracing it to make sure it does not happen again. We’re working with new specialist suppliers for the heating and lift systems in the building which will ensure the service will improve quickly.

“We are determined that this does not happen again with our new buildings and have reviewed the handover and early management process with contractors.”

The development is named in memory of Kelso Cochrane who was tragically murdered by a gang of white youths in Notting Hill while on his way home in 1959. Members of his family attended the opening of the development.

The social rent homes are made up of 10 one-bedroom homes, nine two-bedroom homes, eight three-bedroom homes and one four-bedroom home.

Pictured top: Yolande in her home at Kelso Cochrane House (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)