Camden Council pushes building owners to remove unsafe cladding
Camden Council has successfully defended an Improvement Notice (IN) issued to Hazlewood Properties Limited to tackle unsafe cladding at Princes Park Apartments, 52 Prince of Wales Road, London, NW5 3LN.
The decision, handed down by the First-tier Tribunal, upholds the council’s notice and highlights concerns about the delays by the property owner in addressing fire safety risks.
On 19 October 2023, Camden Council served an Improvement Notice under section 11 of the Housing Act 2004, requiring essential remedial works on the building’s cladding and other fire safety deficiencies to safeguard its residents.
The Council’s Private Sector Housing Service had been actively engaging with the building’s owners since June 2020, but despite reassurances from managing agents no action had been taken to remedy the fire safety issues. Hazlewood Properties Limited, the owner of the building, lodged an appeal against the Improvement Notice on 9 November 2023, challenging the council's requirements.
In a decisive ruling, the Tribunal criticised the appellant’s failure to take action on critical fire safety issues. It was determined that Hazlewood Properties’ real objection was not the complexity of the work but the financial implications.
The Tribunal concluded that the council’s requirement to commence works within 90 days and complete them within 360 days was both reasonable and necessary to protect the safety of residents.
Camden Council welcomes this outcome, which reinforces the importance of swift action in making buildings safe, particularly in cases where property owners and other parties have delayed vital remedial works.
We are pleased with the Tribunal’s decision, which confirms that the safety of our residents must come first.
Everyone deserves to live in a safe home but all too often we see delays from building owners unwilling to act promptly, despite the risks to occupants.
This ruling sends a clear message that we're taking action against sub-standard housing and private owners to ensure properties are made safe.
The inspection was carried out jointly with London Fire Brigade, and the inspection and legal action were supported by the Local Government Association Joint Inspection Team.
Councillor Adam Hug, Housing Spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Councils are playing a vital role in making sure residents are safe – and feel safe – in their homes.
“The LGA established the Joint Inspection Team with Government support to ensure that councils have the expert support they need to tackle building owners who fail to meet their obligations to keep residents safe and to drive forward best practice in regulation. Camden’s success in this case shows the value of that support, which has now been provided in over 124 cases.”
This ruling is a significant step forward in Camden’s ongoing efforts to tackle unsafe cladding and ensure all residential properties in the borough meet the highest fire safety standards.