Rochford and Martlesham blocks will undergo structural strengthening, fire safety improvements and be fitted with new doors, windows and cladding, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Two residential blocks on Broadwater Farm Estate have been proposed for a pilot refurbishment project following failed structural tests. 

Back in 2018 a structural survey found hundreds of homes on the council-owned housing estate in Tottenham were at risk of collapse.

The blocks, which were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s, used the large panel system (LPS) method of construction.

However, concerns around the structure of LPS buildings have grown in recent years and some have been deemed unsafe by the building safety regulator due to their potential for collapse in the event of a gas boiler explosion.

While two blocks on Broadwater Farm estate are being demolished and gas supplies have previously been removed from all remaining homes, refurbishment works have been proposed for nine blocks with two put forward for a pilot project. 

Rochford and Martlesham blocks will undergo structural strengthening, fire stopping and compartmentation,  improved energy efficiency, replacement of windows and doors, replacement of cladding to improve thermal performance, and improvement to the courtyard and play areas as well as the communal entrances. 

An application was submitted in January and a decision is expected to be made shortly.

The planning documents state “fire safety” and “structural strengthening” were the primary design drivers. Entrances on the two blocks are described as “run down” and undercrofts having “issues with safety”. 

A resident ballot was held in 2022 and 85% of those who voted supported the delivery of new homes on the estate, the first of which were delivered in autumn last year, and improvement works.

More information on the scheme can be found via Haringey Council’s planning portal, using reference number HGY/2024/3522.

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