Good evening. Just weeks after a man fell
to his death from a balcony in Holborn, we've
been contacted by a resident worried
about safety in another block of flats in
Islington.
Saint Catherine's House is managed by the
same housing association. People living
there have
shown us worrying examples of disrepair,
including wobbling railings and cracks in
concrete pillars.
To make matters worse, tenants say their
safety concerns are being ignored. One
resident who's
lived there for nearly four decades said
the problems are obvious, but year after
year,
nothing gets fixed. Here's our
correspondent, Simon Harris.
To the casual observer, Saint Catherine's
House in Islington needs more than a
little TLC.
The steel cladding around columns which
support the balconies has split and shows
signs of
corrosion. There are cracks in concrete
and more than one ground floor barrier
has separated from
its support. The main concern with this
bracket, it's cracking and it looks as if
the concrete is
crumbling that's holding it. Christine
has lived in a first floor flat for more
than 50 years
and is worried about the steel which
supports the balconies. It's an iron
bracket that holds
up a balcony above me. At the moment, it
doesn't look at all strong. Michael, who
doesn't want us
to show his face, is another longtime
resident. You're looking at decay, you're
looking at metal
fatigue, you're looking at rust, you're
looking at crumbling infrastructure on
the staircase.
It's obvious to see with your own eyes.
Saint Catherine's House is owned by Islington
and
Shoreditch Housing Association, the same
organisation which manages Holland and
Thurstan
Dwellings in Holborn. That's where 23-year-old
Josh Robbins fell to his death in January
when a fifth floor balcony gave way.
Shortly after Josh's death, the balconies
at the
block in Holborn were reinforced with scaffolding.
The same thing has now been done here.
In a statement, Islington and Shoreditch
Housing Association told us that Saint
Catherine's House
concerns were raised and scaffolding was
installed as a precaution. We have
identified
the required works and are now appointing
a contractor to complete them. This predates
the tragic event at Thurstan Dwellings.
But that's disputed by residents who say
the
contractors arrived last month after Josh's
fall. About two days after they came and
scaffolded
around the balcony. Couldn't make out
why they were here, and when the workmen
did explain to us
its safety measure because someone had
had an accident and fell off a balcony.
Michael,
a property developer, said he first
raised concerns about the building four
years ago.
There should be preemptive inspections
every 10 years to ascertain the problem
of the buildings
and there's an old saying that a stitch in
time saves nine. So every 10 years they
should come
and examine the building, see what needs
to be done and you should do preemptive
maintenance.
What response have you had from Islington
and Shoreditch Housing Association?
No response at all, despite the fact that
I've notified them on numerous occasions.
Islington and Shoreditch Housing
Association told us it operates a planned
repairs and maintenance
programme and residents' safety is its
highest priority. Simon Harris, ITV News,
Islington.