Mansfield Council asks contractor for costs of fire safety works at London flats

The council bought the block of 40 flats in Clapham in 2017 as an investment.

However, serious fire safety problems were later found which meant the walls, floors and ceilings had to be ripped out so they could be rebuilt internally.

Residents left the Bedford Road building in March 2023, and the council funds their temporary accommodation.

The council has now asked contractor Wilmot Dixon to draw up costs and carry out feasibility studies for potential repair work, documents reveal.

The decision, published on the council’s website, says three bidders, including Willmot Dixon, initially showed interest in the project.

However, all said ‘the level of financial and design risk associated with the project as tendered was too great for them to bear’.

The council has continued discussions with Willmot Dixon, who showed the most interest and has asked them to draw up a programme of work and costings.

This won’t cost the local authority anything, and no contract has been entered into.

The council says re-tendering the project isn’t an option because ‘soft market testing and previous tender opportunity has already demonstrated there is little appetite for the project using a competitive tender approach’.

Serious fire issues at the Clapham building were found by an independent assessment in the wake of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire disaster, which led to new fire safety regulations.

The council previously forecast that it would spend approximately £19.691m between 2018 and 2025 to fix the issues.

A council spokesperson previously said: “Having a balanced portfolio of investment has and continues to give the authority revenue stability and allows the council to invest in services when external funding streams are reducing.

“Following an independent assessment of the building in 2018, the council took immediate action to address several fire safety concerns and keep tenants and residents safe in their homes.

“The council, as a responsible landlord and property owner, has undertaken an extensive investigation into the fire safety issues at the property and determined a programme of required works to remedy the concerns.”

The building is also home to international lift engineering firm KONE, which rents business space on the ground floor.