Highgate neighbours hit out as council padlocks fire exits

Neighbours gathered outside the Holly Lodge Community Centre, in Makepeace Avenue, on October 18 to protest the council's "underhand" actions.

Many of the four and five-storey blocks in Oakeshott, Makepeace and Langbourne Avenues are linked to one another or have gantries to provide fire escapes in the event of a blaze.

• MOST READ: Police up patrols around faith venues and businesses in Hampstead

Neighbours told Camden Council and Camden's fire chief David George at a meeting in September that they felt these are a better and safer option than waiting in their flats for the fire brigade.

However they were told that despite residents having roof access for a century, it was "unsafe" and would be shut, although they were given no date that this would happen.

Members of the Holly Lodge Tenants and Residents Association (HLTRA) asked the council this month not to close access until all flats had fire doors and all faulty fire alarms were fixed.

They showed the Ham&High a letter from former Highgate councillor Oliver Lewis in 2019, where Cllr Meric Apak, lead member for housing, allegedly said that resident safety concerns were "very justifiable" and had asked officers to work on different options including "making all the walkways and gantries safe for use in the long term to be agreed jointly with the council and residents at some point".

But this week, with no prior warning, council contracted officers entered the blocks and padlocked the roofs.

Holly Lodge Estate neighbours have accused the council of a 'breach of trust' after they 'secretly' locked all roof fire exits (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

Grace Livingstone, a member of HLTRA, said: "They've come along in secret and starting locking the doors. It is a real breach of trust that they have locked the doors and makes a mockery of the idea of consulting residents."

TRA chair, Josh Cedar, said: "We had a few questions for them and they haven't come back on any of them, they just started doing the work. The plan was always to have an emergency override. It's outrageous."

Catherine Mimms, who lives in Langbourne Avenue, said: "With the fire doors being locked on the roof, for many of the blocks, that's their only alternative escape from a fire.

"I don't care what the London Fire Brigade said, the fire brigade is just in favour of Camden Council."

She added:  "I put a question to the council asking 'if you were told to walk into a ball of fire would you do it? Because that's what you are asking us' but they haven't responded."

Some of the blocks on the Holly Lodge Estate are linked by gantries while other blocks are joined to facilitate fire escapes (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

Gilly Burke said the council had "deliberately run it down, but still charge us for it in our service charges".

And Lorna Jane Russell added: "We don't believe they maintain it at all. As a leaseholder I'm concerned what I'm paying for. We are being levied a charge for services that are not being  delivered.

"One of the neighbours goes up to sweep the roof whenever it rains as water leaks into her flat. She's very concerned she can't do that now."

The council said that to upgrade rooftop exits to ensure they are safe "would be well in excess of £2million", and there were implications for some top floor flats "that might have to be made smaller to accommodate modern staircases".

Ms Russell said Camden Council refusing to pay for roof repairs and closing it instead was a "political issue".

A spokesperson for Camden Council said they were "not running down the roofs or reducing service charges".

They said there had been "numerous meetings with the TRA members, site visits and public meetings since 2018" and they had sent a letter to all residents following the September meeting.

They added: “We’ve invested over £2million to improve fire safety at this estate, including installing new fire doors, improved lighting, and full alarm systems that are linked across all flats and communal areas.”