Wandsworth Council is moving temporary accommodation residents out of Britannia Point after concerns over conditions in the 19-storey tower block
A London council is pulling its temporary accommodation residents out of a controversial tower block that has been criticised for restricting the use of air conditioning during a heatwave. While management at Britannia Point in Colliers Wood insists the air conditioning is fully operational, residents continue to report high temperatures and faulty cooling systems in the 19-storey glass tower block.
Other councils are now considering alternative housing options for temporary accommodation households at Britannia Point, with some saying they will no longer use the building for future placements.
One temporary accommodation resident told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) how all the rooms in her Britannia Point flat had reached 37 degrees, adding: “It’s just like being in an oven, cooking.”
Temporary accommodation residents first reported being unable to use their air conditioning earlier this month, alleging that their building’s management company, Aura Asset Management Limited, had restricted access to the systems. The issue is understood to have affected at least 60 households in temporary accommodation at Britannia Point, while air conditioning in privately rented flats has remained unaffected.
After learning of the conditions inside Britannia Point, Wandsworth Council told the LDRS that it had decided to pull out and rehouse the four households it had placed there. “As ever, the welfare of residents is our priority, and we are working at pace to ensure suitable alternative accommodation is available,” the council told the LDRS.
The LDRS spoke to one of Wandsworth’s tenants, 31-year-old mother-of-two Sabrina Walters, who revealed the air conditioning unit in her flat remains faulty. “When they turned off the air conditioning, mine got stuck at 24 degrees, and I can’t change it from that,” she said.
When the LDRS visited Sabrina’s flat, the air conditioning unit remained fixed at the same temperature despite her repeated attempts to adjust it. Although the kitchen stayed at that setting, the heat was particularly intense in the two bedrooms where she and her one-year-old and seven-year-old daughters sleep.
Residents the LDRS spoke to said the problem was compounded by window restrictors, which prevent the windows from opening wide enough to allow adequate ventilation. They said the large glass windows absorb heat throughout the day, leaving the flats uncomfortably warm.
Sabrina also said she regularly encounters neighbours sitting in the stairwell because they are “taking a break from the heat”. When we visited, only one of the building’s two lifts was operational, with the other out of service. “I thought Aura would have got this sorted out by now, especially during this heatwave,” she told the LDRS.
Another resident, who had been placed at Britannia Point by Sutton Council, told the LDRS that management briefly restored the air conditioning after one of her children was taken to hospital with heatstroke. However, the young mother-of-three said management restricted her air conditioning use again after the incident involving her child.
“All of the rooms are reaching over 37 degrees,” she said. “It’s just like being in an oven, cooking.”
Residents say they were initially told by staff at reception that air conditioning had been deliberately switched off in flats let through Aura Assets, noting that “air conditioning has not been offered as an amenity under these arrangements”.
In response, residents have been working with Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhain McDonagh and Merton Labour councillor Stuart Neaverson to highlight the issue. In response to McDonagh’s letter to Aura last Monday (20 July), the management company disputed claims that temporary accommodation residents had been prevented from using the air conditioning.
Aura said the air conditioning systems were fully operational and available to all residents, including those in temporary accommodation. It said residents were responsible for the electricity costs of running the units and that, while it encouraged sensible use to limit bills, it had never instructed residents not to use the air conditioning.
Aura told the LDRS that, before moving into the property, all residents and local authorities are informed that air conditioning is available as an optional service. They said this applies equally to those in temporary accommodation and private tenants in the building.
Aura also said it had not received any reports of residents becoming seriously ill due to the recent hot weather. It encouraged any residents needing support or with concerns about their accommodation to contact the company directly.
However, councillor Neaverson feels the management’s approach to temporary accommodation residents remains unfair and unsafe during the current heatwave. “Air conditioning in that building is not an amenity, it is essential,” he said.
“When I was there in meeting residents in March, it was freezing inside. Yet inside people were walking around in shorts. It’s a big glass box; it keeps all the heat in.
“Criterion Capital (who own the building) need to urgently explain how the air conditioning was ever turned off in their building during a heatwave for vulnerable families.”
Neaverson also praised Wandsworth Council for removing its families from the building, but said that other councils housing people there “need to follow suit immediately”. “No council should house residents in a building where there is such little regard for the health of tenants,” he added. Merton Council does not currently house any residents at Britannia Point.
Earlier this year, the LDRS reported how a proposed mass eviction at Britannia Point by Criterion Capital sparked a major public backlash. It was reported that Criterion planned to replace private tenants with more temporary accommodation residents.
Criterion has rejected this claim, but many private tenants are understood to have since moved out of the block.
What are other councils doing?
While Wandsworth Council has committed to rehousing its temporary accommodation tenants, further enquiries by the LDRS have revealed that several local authorities are continuing to house their tenants at Britannia Point. Here is a summary of how other councils are responding:
Croydon Council
Croydon Council has not confirmed how many households it has placed at Britannia Point but said officers had carried out welfare checks with residents. The council said Criterion Capital had confirmed the air conditioning was now switched on and residents had been contacted with advice on using it.
Sutton Council
Sutton Council has placed 13 households at Britannia Point. It said it was “very concerned” about the reports and had contacted Aura about the issue. The council said it decided earlier this year not to place any new residents in the building and was supporting existing households to find permanent accommodation.
Kingston Council
Kingston Council has one temporary accommodation placement at Britannia Point and said the household had been offered alternative accommodation within the borough. The council said it prioritised local placements where possible but faced challenges due to the shortage of housing.
Tower Hamlets Council
Tower Hamlets Council has six temporary accommodation units at Britannia Point. It said it raised concerns with the building’s managing agent after becoming aware of air conditioning issues.
The council said its households would remain at Britannia Point following the air conditioning repairs, but added that the building was “not currently our preferred option for future placements”. It said it was under pressure from around 3,200 households living in temporary accommodation.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council
Hammersmith and Fulham Council is understood to have placed residents at Britannia Point but did not respond to questions about how many households were affected or what action it was taking.
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