Redstone House residents make desperate appeal as they fear for their safety and their future

RESIDENTS of a block of flats in Harlow Town Centre have made a desperate plea for help as they fear for their safety and their future in the town centre dwelling.

Redstone House is opposite the library in the town centre. It houses dozens of residents. Many have lived there and in Harlow for several years. They work locally and have children in our schools.

In early April, the day to day running of Redstone House was taken over by Dunlap Property Solutions Limited.

In a document seen by YourHarlow, Dunlap wrote to residents on April 1st. They explained that they would be doing the day to day running of the flats.

They acknowledged that the block was in a “state of disrepair” and were in the process of rectifying issues such as “fire safety compliance, drainage…pet infestations..fly tipping.

They stated: “To facilitate these necessary renovations, we are offering temporary accommodation, such as; hot Airbnbs or bed and breakfasts at our expense. Alongside this, we are offering storage space for your belongings to avoid any damage to your personal items during the renovation process.

“Our aim support you through this process and temporarily vacate the building to allow for a full refurbishment.

Additionally, for those seeking long-term relocation, we have other properties available in local surrounding areas, also in and around London-that we can offer as permanent alternatives.

“Please be assured that our intention is to support you through this transition and ensure a safe environment for all.

“We are not here to leave anyone homeless but rather to provide assistance throughout”.

But residents have told YH that far from things improving, they testify that their living conditions are getting worse.

As a spokesperson for Harlow Hive said: What we found is not only do the same conditions exist, but they have worsened with huge fire safety concerns, sewage backing up, infestation of rats and residents having nowhere to dispose of rubbish.

“The landlord has also reportedly cut wires to internet and TV providers which the residents pay for, and instructed Royal Mail to stop delivering post”.

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However since then, residents have felt that the block has felt less secure and less safe.

They have been working with Harlow Hive, part of the Michael Roberts Charitable Trust (MRCT) who have acted as an intermediary in order to access help.

They have reached out to the Essex Fire and Rescue Service, Harlow Council, Harlow MP Chris Vince and the local ward councillors.

Here are some of the responses supplied to YH.

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A Harlow Council spokesperson said: ‘ “We have taken every legal step possible to deal with the ongoing issues at Redstone House which is a privately-owned converted office block, and we will continue to do so.

“We have a zero-tolerance approach to private-sector landlords who do not provide safe accommodation and will enforce this through every legal mechanism available to us as well as supporting our partners in the Fire Service. 

“As part of our mission to transform housing, we have setup a dedicated team to improve the standards of private sector housing in our town and the living conditions for private tenants. This team has been working closely with the residents and Essex County Fire and Rescue to address the concerns. We will take what action is necessary to ensure the safety of the residents and we continue to work with all those involved and carry out regularly visits to the site.”

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An Essex Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: “Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is aware of the fire safety concerns at Redstone House.

“Members of our High Rise Task Force are continuing to work with the Responsible Person to ensure the concerns are addressed.

“Due to the risks identified, the Responsible Person has changed the evacuation strategy to ‘simultaneous evacuation’ (evacuation as soon as an alarm sounds), and employed people to undertake the role of a ‘waking watch’, who will notify residents in the event of a fire so they can evacuate.

“We continue to communicate regularly with the Responsible Person, and with the local authority, to ensure that the resolution of the fire safety concerns remains a priority.”

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Harlow MP Chris Vince has spoken to YH and said he is liaising with the residents of Redstone House.

We contacted the three local ward councillors. They are Tony Durcan, Linda Clark and Maggie Hulcoop. Only councillor Durcan replied.

We contacted the shadow portfolio holder for Housing, cllr Jodi Dunne. He has not replied.

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We have contacted Dunlap Property Solutions Limited. They have not replied.

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A spokesperson for Harlow Hive said: “MRCT has heard from many people living at Redstone House. We have welcomed them to use our services at Bump to Five and Harlow Foodbank, and we have heard they have been brought here in part due to the stress of inadequate living conditions such as no hot water, the lift not working and the building lacking security. 

When we heard about the current situation with the new landlord, our project, Harlow Hive became involved in the hope to give residents a voice. 

What we found is not only do the same conditions exist, but they have worsened with huge fire safety concerns, sewage backing up, infestation of rats and residents having nowhere to dispose of rubbish. The landlord has also reportedly cut wires to internet and TV providers which the residents pay for, and instructed Royal Mail to stop delivering post.

We have been helping residents to contact relevant councillors for the area, the leader of the council and the portfolio holder for housing, as well as Harlow’s MP and another MP from the area a resident was placed from. We are pleased to hear residents have had a response from Chris Vince MP to say his office is now liaising with Harlow Council.

We have also contacted these officials on their behalf in the hope of facilitating a meeting before they are evicted. 

We feel that it is in everyone’s best interest to meet with residents to hear their experiences, give them guidance on their rights and actions they could take, and advocate for them. 

Time is running out. 

With the evictions dates looming, residents do not know where they will be living and are experiencing considerable stress due to the living conditions, lack of clear communication from the landlord – including payment details for rent – and uncertainty. 

Many residents have raised their families in the town, and work locally in places like our hospital and shops. They are afraid that they will be placed out of town and have to restart life, through no fault of their own. 

When it comes to residents of permitted developments across Harlow, it seems we have political powers playing chess with people’s lives, while no one really wanting them on the board. 

We urgently ask councillors to meet with residents. 

We would also like to invite councillors to work with residents and charities and support organisations across the town towards creating a Charter of Standards for Permitted Development Buildings; featuring enforcement measures that can be put in place for breeches to landlords and councils which place people here. 

“It must be stressed that many people at Redstone House and other permitted developments are long term Harlow residents. However, when people have been moved here by other councils, they do not realise they have lost their right to return to their original council/made it harder to return to that council once they have taken a private tenancy. In order to empower residents who are being moved without option, we would also like to work with all the above to develop a communication pack for residents so they know their rights and the process when they are placed here by other councils.”

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YH has met with residents. We will see how their discussions progress and then make a decision regarding publish their testimonies.

We understand that Harlow Council including leader, Councillor Dan Swords met with residents on Friday. We hope to provide an update.