Crane collapse in Bow
Posted Tuesday, July 14, 2020
On 8th July a fatal incident occurred in Compton Close, Bow. A 20m (65ft) crane crashed on to the development and two terrace houses just before 14:40, causing devastating destruction and chaos for homeowners and residents both within the affected buildings and those living nearby, including Ladyfern House which is managed by Remus.
What’s being done?
Currently, Tower Hamlets are organising risk assessments on the site to determine the level of danger caused by the crane to the surrounding buildings, and crane monitoring equipment will be installed on-site in the next few days. We have been advised that no residents or homeowners will be allowed access whilst the monitoring is in process, and until the risk assessments have been completed, after which residents and homeowners will be advised as to when they can have access to their homes either to collect belongings and secure their property or to move back in.
Gateway Housing & Swan are in discussion with regards to how site safety will be handled after the Police leave the site.
A Response/Recovery group has been formed and is meeting daily at 13:00 to provide updates. Both the Police and a Remus representative will be attending these meetings.
When can homeowners and residents move back in?
It is anticipated that for some, moving back in may take weeks, and for those in need of temporary accommodation help is being provided as indicated in this statement from the Mayor of Tower Hamlets: "Working with housing providers and other partners, we have been able to temporarily find accommodation for those who had to be evacuated as a result of this incident and we will continue to make sure they are supported while the area is made safe enough for them to return home. That may take some time.” You can read the Mayor’s full statement HERE
On-going support
We will be advising you as to when visits to your property may be allowed as soon as we are instructed to do so. In the meantime should you need to get in touch with Remus, please contact our London office on 020 7407 0538 or email London.admin@remus-mgmt.co.uk and one of the team will be able to help you.
Update 16.07.20:
Remus Management has since been informed that residents of Ladyfern House had been allowed back into their homes (as referenced in the statement below). Members of the property team acted immediately by visiting the site to offer assistance to those residents still in the building and provide advice and guidance from our Insurance and Claims team.
A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said:
“The partnership operation to secure and then remove the collapsed crane is complex and to keep the public safe, it was necessary to evacuate a number of nearby buildings. Earlier today, we learned that the residents of one building within the exclusion zone had returned to their homes before it was safe to do so. This had not been authorised. We are working to understand how this happened and are adjusting the cordons around the site to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“Because we still consider this building to be within the area that is at risk, we have informed the residents that for their own safety they will need to evacuate again. We appreciate that this will cause considerable inconvenience, but we must put safety first. This decision was agreed by all parties involved and would not have been taken if we were not genuinely concerned about the level of risk posed to anyone who stays in the building.
“Council officers are working with the building management company to keep residents informed and to ensure that appropriate alternative accommodation and other necessary support is provided.”
Update 20.07.20
Monitoring equipment has been installed onsite and will stay there for at least a week before any recovery plans are implemented. As soon as further details are provided this page will be updated.
POST:
Post is currently not being delivered to Ladyfern House. It is currently being held at Bow Royal Mail depot. Residents are requested to take photo ID that includes their Ladyfern address to the depot, in order to retrieve mail stored there.
Update 23.07.20
Tower Hamlets have informed Remus that due to the fact that the crane will not be moved for another 4 weeks it is anticipated no access to Ladyfern House will be possible within the next 6-8 weeks. The Remus team is continuing to ensure the safety of all residents, supporting them by providing daily updates and advice with alternative accommodation.
British Red Cross Support Line
This line is to support people who are finding it hard to cope. The friendly volunteers answering calls can give you emotional support, or direct you to other people or local services should you need them. And if you just want to talk, they are there to listen.
Phone number: 08081964051
Opening times: 10:00 – 18:00 everyday
Please see update on council tax refunds for any residents that have already paid their council tax bills:
Council tax refunds – how and when will this take place?
The best way for residents is if they have their council tax details they can log on to our online system and arrange the refund themselves: - https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/council_and_democracy/council_tax/Manage_my_account.aspx
However, should residents want to email if they do not have their details, they can email Gareth.Colechin@towerhamlets.gov.uk with the temporary forwarding address or their email address (if they want online billing) and their bank details (account n.o., sort code and bank a/c name) then he will arrange manually inputting the refunds.
