| Latimer Road 02:31 - Jun 14 with 104000 views | stowmarketrange |
A big fire in a tower block in Latimer Road just been reported on 5live.Eyewitness says there are people trapped on the upper floors.
I hope everyone gets out safely. |  | | |  |
| Latimer Road on 00:36 - Jun 21 with 2834 views | zicoshoops |
As I've said earlier, I lived in the Tower 39 years ago.
I would be interested in knowing how many of the flats had been sold.
I do know that no one would lend against a (Council) high rise in the 80's.
I can only assume that any of the flats sold in the Tower (shitehole) were sold for cash.
Kensington and Chelsea Council sent me a letter, offering me the chance to leave the flat and buy a 3 bedroom house in Northolt in 1979........
The price was 92k. ( It seems like little now)
I refused, fvvked them right off.....and bought a four bedroom house on the open market in Bedfordshire for 27k.
Let's have it right.
Grenfell Tower was no more than a slum, three and a half years after it was built.
Yes, we no doubt will hear all the.....'lessons will be learnt, things will change,' bollocks.
That place was a shitehole three years after it was built.
And I'll stand up and say that anytime , anywhere.
It wasn't a sort after dwelling in the richest borough in England.
40 years ago...........it was no more than a slum in the sky. |  | | |
| Latimer Road on 03:28 - Jun 21 with 2789 views | smegma |
| Latimer Road on 15:45 - Jun 20 by DannytheR |
As with everything to do with K&C it's difficult to find out for certain, but there were a few that had been bought, done up and put on the rental market. About a year ago, someone I know said they were offered a 2 bed flat on one of the top floors for north of 2 grand a month, which takes some getting your head round.
But it was very much a minority of flats - the vast majority were still K&C.
The prices round the area are very telling. There was a house on Grenfell Road itself on for £1.3m just before the fire, and the places on Bramley Road (where K&C's deputy leader now lives) are even steeper. |
My dad sold the family home, a 4 bed former council house on the estate next door, for £575k about five years ago.The lady sold it for £800k a year ago to TV Presenter George Clark . I wouldn't give £100k for a flat in any tower block let alone Grenfell Tower | | | |
| Latimer Road on 08:20 - Jun 21 with 2720 views | TheChef |
Ha ha I thought you had made his name up.
Or maybe he has? |  |
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| Latimer Road on 08:23 - Jun 21 with 2712 views | TheChef |
| Latimer Road on 17:09 - Jun 20 by 2Thomas2Bowles |
King's College Hospital Clinical Director Duncan Bew said hundreds of patients had been expected but did not arrive... |
Yes, all very odd. You'd have thought there would be a relatively large number needing treatment for smoke inhalation at the very least. | |
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| Latimer Road on 12:49 - Jun 21 with 2603 views | Juzzie |
| Latimer Road on 22:23 - Jun 20 by Juzzie |
Apologies if this offends anyone and I'll remove if necessary.
IMO, anyone found out to have sub-letted their flat should not be re-housed.
They have abused the system that is there to help those that need help, not to profit from and use the proceeds to live somewhere nicer.
They're still alive, when they may be dead, and others are dead who could/should otherwise be alive. |
Hi Hubble,
you down-arrowed me. I'd genuinely be interested in why. Not looking for confrontation etc, just be interested in your thoughts. |  | | |
| Latimer Road on 13:11 - Jun 21 with 2552 views | BklynRanger |
| Latimer Road on 22:56 - Jun 20 by Lblock |
I'm avoiding much else apart from "construction issues" on this thread for fear of kicking off more back biting and shame attempts so just picking up on this...
Please do not lose sight of another HUGE failing alongside potentially the cladding.
It is catagorically wrong for any escape stair to fail within the time frames it did. The escape stair, ignoring other arguments about its capacity (which looks a fcukin disgrace), should NEVER fill up with acrid chemical smoke, it should be vented naturally and/or mechanically to ensure it's clear even if all fire doors aren't fully engaged. It should be lit to 200lux with investor packs on the lights so even with complete power failure it is lit.
Serious, far reaching and criminal questions need to be asked about the above and why these escape core wasn't good for two hours
I would also personally say at least one lift should've been designated a fire fighting lift with maybe a four hour fire rating.
My last observation/question is what happened to the allegation that the dry risers failed? Is this true? If so it's another scandal.
Where are the regular checks and maintenance on life safety systems?
My view on these blocks is they should be raised and low rises in a wider footprint be used and brownfield sites used. However please don't flip that into an interpretation of being against social housing. I'm a supporter of "key workers" getting rent free accommodation near their place of work and totally agree with "council housing" being needed. Christ, I spent half my life in one as a kid!!! |
Informative stuff. I was trying to get at some of this talking to a friend at the weekend. Yes, the idea is that the flat should contain the fire so that it can be put out, obviously the cladding was what seems to have spread it, but there have to have been some of these failings you're talking about, LB.
It's easy to say 'you're supposed to stay in the flat' when you're sitting in the leafy back garden of your semi (as he was), but my response would be 'fcuk that I'm getting out'. Even allowing for the exceptional circumstances, far too many people seemed to have no chance at all to even attempt it. |  | | |
| Latimer Road on 14:33 - Jun 21 with 2431 views | colinallcars |
70 flats acquired by the government in up market development in central Kensington for those displaced in the disaster. Blimey, I didn't expect that. |  | | |
| Latimer Road (n/t) on 14:37 - Jun 21 with 2421 views | danehoop |
| Latimer Road on 14:33 - Jun 21 by colinallcars |
70 flats acquired by the government in up market development in central Kensington for those displaced in the disaster. Blimey, I didn't expect that. |
[Post edited 21 Jun 2017 14:38]
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| Latimer Road on 15:03 - Jun 21 with 2379 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
Gov paying for this (Public money) and not K&C
Good that they have been offered this but short of the number of homes at Grenfell, the apartments start at 1.5M - 8.5M and I would imagine service charges being very high I wonder if they will be permanent or just short term
I don't believe this "newly built social housing" part
Also who would be the landlords, the government or the council. [Post edited 21 Jun 2017 15:10]
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| Latimer Road on 15:06 - Jun 21 with 2367 views | MedwayR |
Wouldn't these apartments be "affordable housing" as part of the development which would have been taken on by K&C anyway, all they're doing is taking them early to house residents of Grenfell Tower??? |  |
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| Latimer Road on 15:09 - Jun 21 with 2362 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
| Latimer Road on 15:06 - Jun 21 by MedwayR |
Wouldn't these apartments be "affordable housing" as part of the development which would have been taken on by K&C anyway, all they're doing is taking them early to house residents of Grenfell Tower??? |
No as K&C are not paying for it | |
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| Latimer Road on 15:29 - Jun 21 with 2303 views | MedwayR |
| Latimer Road on 15:09 - Jun 21 by 2Thomas2Bowles |
No as K&C are not paying for it |
Ok but the development would have had to provide affordable housing as part of planning, so who would've taken on that housing if not K&C? | |
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| Latimer Road on 15:52 - Jun 21 with 2266 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
I don't believe it would have been 68/70 homes, as for affordable what does that mean ?
Grenfell as far as we know was council owned with Council low rent | |
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| Latimer Road on 15:56 - Jun 21 with 2240 views | colinallcars |
New developments are supposed to have an element of affordable housing. But they define that as 80% of market price - still way out of most folks reach. They usually pledge some local amenities but in effect most of these things seem to fall by the wayside leaving just ludicrously expensive "posh flats" | | | |
| Latimer Road on 15:58 - Jun 21 with 2229 views | DannytheR |
Good to see this happening, although of course there are a lot more people waiting to be rehoused too. I think these flats fall within the affordable part of the new development, so hopefully the press won't go overboard with the "luxury" stuff. But obviously this is good news for the families concerned.
Definitely be interested to see exactly where the money is coming from. You would have assumed with K&C having £274m in reserves that would have been the obvious source. |  | | |
| Latimer Road on 16:00 - Jun 21 with 2225 views | kensalriser |
| Latimer Road on 22:23 - Jun 20 by Juzzie |
Apologies if this offends anyone and I'll remove if necessary.
IMO, anyone found out to have sub-letted their flat should not be re-housed.
They have abused the system that is there to help those that need help, not to profit from and use the proceeds to live somewhere nicer.
They're still alive, when they may be dead, and others are dead who could/should otherwise be alive. |
If you're referring to council tenants sub-letting their flats, I imagine this would be a breach of the tenancy agreement and could lead to a loss of tenancy. If true, you might ask why the council was allowing it to happen, though given most of the evidence has gone up in smoke probably not easy to prove now.
But an odd thing to get heated about given the more pressing questions arising. |  |
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| Latimer Road on 16:03 - Jun 21 with 2216 views | DannytheR |
| Latimer Road on 15:56 - Jun 21 by colinallcars |
New developments are supposed to have an element of affordable housing. But they define that as 80% of market price - still way out of most folks reach. They usually pledge some local amenities but in effect most of these things seem to fall by the wayside leaving just ludicrously expensive "posh flats" |
The amount of affordable housing in London developments is routinely slashed between contracts being signed and delivery.
It came out today that the developers behind the new Battersea Power Station flats have said they're only going to build 386 affordable units in a development of 4239 - about half what they committed to originally. [Post edited 21 Jun 2017 16:03]
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| Latimer Road on 16:05 - Jun 21 with 2204 views | MedwayR |
| Latimer Road on 15:52 - Jun 21 by 2Thomas2Bowles |
I don't believe it would have been 68/70 homes, as for affordable what does that mean ?
Grenfell as far as we know was council owned with Council low rent |
I don't know how big the development is so I've no idea if the affordable housing (usually about 30% of new developments I think?) would have been 70 homes either.
Affordable housing probably has a definition but I believe it's something like it has to be affordable to someone with average salary although I'm not sure if that's local or national average, all the large residential developments I've ever worked on the affordable homes have gone to the local authority for them to use as social housing, I guess it is also used for key workers but I'm not sure who else.
Edit: See above posts from people more knowledgeable than me, I'm half-guessing a lot of this! [Post edited 21 Jun 2017 16:09]
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| Latimer Road on 16:06 - Jun 21 with 2197 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
| Latimer Road on 15:56 - Jun 21 by colinallcars |
New developments are supposed to have an element of affordable housing. But they define that as 80% of market price - still way out of most folks reach. They usually pledge some local amenities but in effect most of these things seem to fall by the wayside leaving just ludicrously expensive "posh flats" |
Yes, again I doubt very much if it's any different to Haygate
I do not begrudge these poor people anything but I don't understand why the Gov is doing this and not K&C
They would not have been handed to the Gov for nothing, if they were part of a council deal of social housing, why has this not come up before, there is something not right here.
The Gov acquired them, not that they were apart of K&C housing. [Post edited 21 Jun 2017 16:11]
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| Latimer Road on 16:20 - Jun 21 with 2133 views | colinallcars |
I wonder where this development is ? Could it be the one on Ken High Street where the old cinema used to be - this seems to stretch down Warwick Road opposite the Warwick pub and opposite the council refuse yard. | | | |
| Latimer Road on 16:22 - Jun 21 with 2129 views | MedwayR |
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40357280
BBC has the apartments as "newly built social housing" so I presume they'd have been leased by K&C upon completion and government stepped in to provide funds for erly completion and a solution while K&C have been flapping around being useless??? Who knows...what's important is that those left homeless will shortly have somewhere nearby to call home. | |
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| Latimer Road on 16:22 - Jun 21 with 2126 views | Brightonhoop |
| Latimer Road on 15:58 - Jun 21 by DannytheR |
Good to see this happening, although of course there are a lot more people waiting to be rehoused too. I think these flats fall within the affordable part of the new development, so hopefully the press won't go overboard with the "luxury" stuff. But obviously this is good news for the families concerned.
Definitely be interested to see exactly where the money is coming from. You would have assumed with K&C having £274m in reserves that would have been the obvious source. |
Read a reort stating the urchase was by City of London at a cost of around £2 Billion. So K&C's reserves wouldn't even touch the sides. Looks like K&C have largely been sidelined on the basis that they are shyte. |  | | |
| Latimer Road on 16:24 - Jun 21 with 2123 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
| Latimer Road on 16:20 - Jun 21 by colinallcars |
I wonder where this development is ? Could it be the one on Ken High Street where the old cinema used to be - this seems to stretch down Warwick Road opposite the Warwick pub and opposite the council refuse yard. |
That's it | |
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| Latimer Road on 16:25 - Jun 21 with 2112 views | DannytheR |
| Latimer Road on 16:20 - Jun 21 by colinallcars |
I wonder where this development is ? Could it be the one on Ken High Street where the old cinema used to be - this seems to stretch down Warwick Road opposite the Warwick pub and opposite the council refuse yard. |
Yep, that's the one. | | | |
| Latimer Road on 16:30 - Jun 21 with 2083 views | colinallcars |
I remember the Britannia Tap pub just along there, claimed to be the smallest pub in London. Sadly not there anymore. They kept a perfect pint of Young's when Young's was great beer. | | | |
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