The latest news and updates from the Chalcots Estate – w/c 18 December 2017
Festive event at Swiss Cottage Library
Thank you to all of the residents who, despite the weather, attended this week’s festive event at Swiss Cottage Library. We hope you found it an informative and interesting event, with handy tips to keep you safe and well into the New Year.
If you were unable to attend our festive drop-in and missed the opportunity to organise a well and warm visit for your home, you can do so by calling the Green Camden Helpline on 0800 801 738. Alternatively you can contact the designated Chalcots support workers:
Darren Sweeney – 07776 492028
Paul Latham – 07468 716369
Current works
Following a number of issues with locks on the new front doors, we will now be replacing all locks with red or blue front door keys as a precautionary measure.
A professional locksmith is currently on site and can replace your lock cylinder relatively quickly. If you have a red or blue front door key, we will be calling on you during normal working hours. If you want to arrange to have an appointment to have your lock changed, you can do so by contacting your Resident Liaison Officer:
Taplow and Bray – Hayley Townsend – 07702 970354
Burnham and Blashford – Angela Carr – 07590 170332
Dorney – Sue Speller – 07939 158509
The new locks will come with a silver key. If you already have a lock with a silver key then your lock is okay and does not need replacing. If you have not yet had your new front door fitted this issue will not apply. If you have not already had your new front door fitted, please contact your Resident Liaison Officer to make an appointment.
Updates
We remind residents that we will be reducing the presence of fire wardens once the cladding has been removed from your block. This week we wrote to Blashford and Burnham to confirm this process. We will be in contact with the remaining blocks soon. The remaining fire warden patrol will provide an additional level of security on your block.
We’re pleased to announce that we have been able to offer 70 residents with underground parking permits a space beneath Bray or Taplow. These car parks are now partially open and we have been allocating the available spaces based on identified priority need. The Estate Parking team have been contacting those permit holders with a priority need and will be in touch with the remaining permit holders in the New Year.
If you have accepted a bay and already have your permit and remote control, we remind you that your street parking permit will no longer be valid. Officers will have already written to you about this in the last fortnight. This is in the interest of fairness, to ease demand for on street parking spaces for those not yet invited to return to an underground parking space and other local residents.
To claim your £10 voucher to cover the electric costs of running your boiler through the winter, you can do so by calling 020 7974 4444 (option 7).
Other news
To ensure the safety of everyone in your block, here are a few reminders of steps you can take to keep your building safe and secure over the holidays:
o Your block’s entrance doors are only effective if closed and secure. Remember to check that the door locks behind you when you enter or leave and avoid letting anyone tailgate you into the building. If the door’s locking system isn’t working please report it to the repairs line.
o If someone you don’t know calls you on the intercom, do not let them in, even if they say they are expected by another resident. This is to ensure the protection of vulnerable residents in your block.
o If someone knocks on your door suggesting that they work for the council or are a contractor, ask to see their identification before allowing them access to your flat.
o Whilst the scaffolding is in place, take extra care to lock your windows when you go out. Also, be sure to lock your new front door behind you when you leave your flat.
Feedback from TRA technical meeting, Wednesday 29 November 2017, present Taplow, Burnham, Bray and Dorney
Council officers updated on progress fitting the new flat and communal doors. They reported that they expected all doors to be finished by Christmas. It was agreed that the Council would take a more proactive approach to adjusting the new doors already installed and addressing any snags. The TRA group asked for feedback on the method used for fixing door chains and the noise being made by some communal door closers. Council officers responded that both of these issues had been looked into and actions were in hand.
Council officers confirmed they had begun to change all potentially faulty locks. They also provided more information on security aspects of the locks and the ‘secure by design’ accreditation for the new doors.
There were discussions around working arrangements for the Christmas period. Council officers confirmed that works would stop on 22 December but there would be a contractor and fire warden presence on the estate over Christmas, along with a 24-hour on-call locksmith, to deal with any issues that might arise. Full details and contact numbers will be provided to residents in the near future.
There were discussions about parking arrangements and the use of the newly allocated parking underneath Bray and Taplow. Further work would be undertaken to make best use of these limited spaces and to look at whether more spaces could be made available by protecting cars from calcium drips.
The TRA group expressed that they felt they were raising points but the Council were not making progress in dealing with all the issues brought forward. A new process for managing progress against action points from the meeting was agreed.