Housing company warns families not to ‘go outside’ and use balconies in their new build £300,000 flats after one COLLAPSES onto street below

• A balcony collapsed onto the pavement in Barking, east London on Saturday
• EXCL: Residents of the building have now been told not to use their balconies
• Have YOU suffered a new-build nightmare? Email [email protected] 

A housing company has warned families not to use their balconies in their new build £300,000 flats after one collapsed onto the street below.

More than 400 of the affordable homes are now considered “unsafe” after a balcony collapsed on Saturday night, scattering large pieces of timber and other debris across a pavement in Barking, east London.

MailOnline can reveal that the residents have now been told not to use their balconies until further notice by Barking and Dagenham Council’s affordable housing company BD Reside.

In a letter dated November 13, the company said it recognises Saturday’s incident is ‘very worrying’ and it has instructed a repairs contractor to ‘reduce the risk’.

Matt Lismore, 29, shared a shocking photo of the collapse at the Gascoigne East estate, a £81million development built by Paris-based engineering company Bouygues.

He tweeted: ‘Yesterday evening a balcony collapsed on to the street in my apartment building, just four years after construction.

‘All 414 properties are now considered ”unsafe” and we will need to erect scaffolding across the entire estate to keep ourselves and the public safe.’

Have YOU suffered a new-build nightmare? Email [email protected] 

More than 400 of the affordable homes are now considered ‘unsafe’ after one collapsed on Saturday night, scattering large pieces of timber and other debris across a pavement

MailOnline can reveal that the residents now have been told not to use their balconies until further notice by Barking and Dagenham Council’s affordable housing company BD Reside

Pictured: Kinga Surowka, pointing to a dent on her building where the balcony collapsed

In a letter dated November 13, the company said it recognises Saturday’s incident is ‘very worrying’ and it has instructed a repairs contractor to ‘reduce the risk’

Matt Lismore shared a photo of large pieces of timber and other debris from a collapsed balcony scattered on the pavement at the Gascoigne East estate in Barking, east London 

Now, residents have been sent a letter warning them not to use their balconies.

The letter, sent by Steve Thorn from BD Reside, reads: ‘You will no doubt be aware of the collapse of the façade on a balcony in Net Street on Saturday.

‘Reside staff were on site on Sunday together with EVO, our repairs contractor, to assess the site and agree actions. 

‘Following that attendance, I was on site today with Bouygues and L&Q and as a result of our findings, we have instructed EVO to arrange works to reduce the risk to residents until we have clear assurance that all balconies on the estate are safe. 

‘We are now asking residents not to use their balconies until further notice. 

‘We recognise that the incident on Saturday is very worrying, and residents will want to understand what happens next so that we can ensure that all the balconies are safe. We will provide updates on next steps as soon as we are able. 

‘We remain in discussions with the developer to impress on them the need to take urgent action on the concerns raised and we will continue to work with Bouygues and L&Q to address any ongoing concerns.’

The Gascoigne East development replaced the 1960s era ‘Gascoigne Estate’ and was intended to create a ‘welcoming, well designed neighbourhood for residents and the wider community’, according to a publicity blurb. 

Pictured: Clover Court, where the balcony collapsed on Saturday

Matt Lismore (pictured) posted on X about the collapse at the Gascoigne East estate

Following the collapse, residents were sent a letter warning them not to use their balconies

But Mr Lismore, a Labour activist and investment banker, said it had been bedevilled by problems for years.  

He shared an email he sent to Darren Rodwell, leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, on May 24 last year to ‘express serious concern about the management and build quality of the development’.

READ MORE – The bleak truth of life on a new-build estate: Unending row of identikit fenced-off back gardens is highlighted by social media account 

‘The main issues are around building safety, build quality and propensity for defective equipment/infrastructure, poor building management and very slow repairs.’

Specifically, he noted how ‘several balconies have fallen off on to the property below’ and ‘no attempt has been made to survey whether other balconies are at risk of falling’.

Mr Lismore posted a photo on X of a ‘smaller, partial collapse’ in summer 2021. The image showed what appears to be sheeting hanging down on to the balcony below.

He said he met with the head of MyPlace, the council’s managing agent, in August and was told ‘there were no issues with the balconies and that I was categorically wrong to assert there was’.

‘Surely the managing agent would have contacted the developer once they became aware of the defective risk to life balconies?’ he asked on X. 

Mr Lismore alleged a series of issues with the build quality of the balconies, including the use of ‘cheap and ineffective metals’, ‘a wood type that rots when exposed to moisture’ and a ‘drainage system that wasn’t fit for purpose’.

MailOnline has contacted Bouygues, Barking & Dagenham Council and BD Reside for comment. 

It is only the latest account of poor build quality on new housing developments. 

It is only the latest instance of poor quality on new developments. Some have been shared on a dedicated X account, Hate Newbuild. This one shows back gardens with wonky fences 

A broadband or telephone communication box has been placed in the way of a parking space

Some of these have been shared on a dedicated Twitter account, Hate Newbuild.  

One recent image shows a rectangular block of red brick houses with six-foot high timber fences marking out the back gardens with a seemingly random assortment of lines.

Instead of a series of straight lines dividing the gardens equally between each house, the fences squirrel from one end of the terrace to the other, randomly weaving in and out.

Others feature houses where some fittings may have fallen off, or others where design features make the completed properties look odd.

In one case, a broadband or telephone communication box was built blocking access to a parking space.

Decorative covers above and below this new build’s windows have fallen off

Another reveals a flat’s balcony that had been built away from the window and patio door of the apartment.

Others show a garage door blocked by a newly installed lamppost while many properties listed feature crumbling walls and rising damp.

In many cases, taller buildings have had ‘fake brick’ cladding installed which has been photographed disintegrating after a few years exposure to the elements.

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