Stafford House Fire Safety Updates | Accent

Fire safety updates

Here are all the fire safety updates for our scheme at Stafford House. 

Further to our last update, informing you that we hoped to have obtained the EWS1 certificate for your block by end of January 2024, we are happy to let you know that we have been successful.

We have secured the sign-off and have been issued the EWS1 certificate dated 5 January 2024.

The original certificate has been saved on our file and you may refer any request from your estate agent or solicitor for confirmation of this to us.

Subletting

Please note: Shared ownership customers who were given permission to sublet whilst the sign-off was being sought, are required to end the sublet by 1 April 2024.

We will carry out home visits in the coming months to confirm that your property is occupied as specified in your lease, i.e. by the leaseholder.

Thank you for your patience in the matter, and please contact us if you have any queries. 

We have now completed the fire safety work at Stafford House and are waiting to obtain the EWS1 (External Wall System Fire Review) certificate.

We are engaging a suitable fire engineering company to undertake the assessment and we are hopeful the inspection will take place in November, with final sign off in January 2024.

Although we hope to obtain the certificate by this date, the process involves several parties, and the completion date may change. However, if we cannot meet this deadline, we will let you know.  

We appreciate that some customers may be planning to sell their homes and would like to reassure you that we are working to obtain the assessment as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience and support whilst the work was carried out and whilst we continue to secure the ESW1.

Shared ownership customers: You may continue to sublet your property whilst we seek to obtain the ESW1, but the permission to sublet will end once we have obtained the certificate.

For everyone's safety, may we remind customers, particularly those who have balcony access not to attach any combustible items or materials to the railings or side of the building. Please remove any such items which may have been attached as a matter of urgency.

All of the work at Stafford House is now complete and the scaffolding has been removed.

The work has dramatically improved the fire safety of the building, and we may continue to make more changes to enhance safety further in the coming years. In the meantime, we are asking customers, (particularly those with balcony access), to not attach any combustible items or materials to the railings or side of the building. If we see any such items, you will be asked to remove them as a matter of urgency.

We are continuing to engage with a suitable fire engineering company to undertake an EWS1 assessment, (External Wall System Fire Review certificate). This is a complex process, it may take some time and we will need sign off from some third parties, such as the council's building control team. We are working on getting this sign-off as soon as possible.

Although we can't confirm a timescale to secure the EWS1 form, we know some leaseholders are looking to sell their homes imminently. We are working hard on obtaining this certificate as soon as possible.

Keeping our customers safe is an absolute priority for us and we would like to thank you for your support and patience while this important work was completed. We are very pleased with the results, and we hope you are too.

We are making good progress at Stafford House and hope to complete work on schedule.

We have some smaller jobs to finish, such as some final tiling and redecoration work. 

We are continuing to seek a suitable fire engineering company to undertake an EWS1 assessment, (an External Wall System Fire Review certificate). This may take time, given the complexity of Stafford House, and will need some sign off from third parties, such as the council's building control team. Although we can't confirm a timescale for securing the EWS1 form, we know some leaseholders are looking to sell their homes imminently and we want to reassure you that we are working hard to secure the certificate as soon as possible.

We would like to thank you for your patience during the course of completing this essential safety work, and we will update you again towards the end of July. 

As you may be aware, the majority of the external work has now been completed at Stafford House although the overall project is not yet complete. It is still on track to finish in line with the 12-18 month timescale originally set out and we have commenced engagement with Fire Engineering companies to undertake an EWS1 assessment.

This can be a lengthy process given the complexity of the site, and requires some sign off from third parties, such as the Local Authority’s building control team, which we will be seeking to attain as soon as possible.

While we are unable to provide a timescale for the provision of the EWS1 form, we are aware that some leaseholders are looking to sell their properties imminently, and we are working hard to be able to provide this as soon as possible.

As per our last update, we are making good progress with the fire remediation work currently taking place at Stafford House. We are also carrying out some smaller repairs on site and we will complete these before Cornerstone finish. 

As you may expect, with any large project such as this, we have had some unforeseen issues along the way, but we have always tried to resolve these as quickly as possible. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience as we complete this work. 

If you have any further questions, Cornerstone have representatives around the site who you can speak directly with, and you can also contact your resident liaison officer. 

We have fully installed the new roofing system and Brickslips to the gable of Stafford House. All that remains is some minor works to the lightning conduction system which should be completed within the next couple of weeks. All scaffolding has also now been removed. 

Cornerstone have finished the majority of works so the car parking spaces at the back of the building (furthest away) have been made available and are being used again. The few spaces directly next to the building are still out of use as they finish up installing the last down conductors and lower level painting works. Cornerstone would anticipate this to be complete within the next couple of weeks and will confirm once they have been handed back to Accent.

We have completed the installation of the new roofing system following the successful demolition of the Top Floor flats. All window restrictor units to communal windows have been fitted and where applicable internal works to windows have been completed. All external painting and decoration works have been completed and 85% of the scaffold has now been struck with the container units recently off hired. We have installed new lightning conduction tapes to the building.

The Cladding system on the Gable wall was successfully removed and the new Brickslips have been installed with a few minor works to be completed as the scaffold here is struck. It is anticipated the scaffold will be struck within the coming weeks and works on Stafford fully completed.

As our customers will know, we are currently carrying out extensive fire safety and renovation work on our homes in Aldershot, Alexander House and Stafford House.

The work has been planned for some time, but only started on site earlier this year, due to a delay in appointing a suitable contractor. Everything is going well. 

Our contractor, Cornerstone, https://www.cornerstonelimited.co.uk/ specialise in insulation works, particularly external wall insulation. One of the company's values is being accountable to customers. They firmly believe that engaging with residents is key and they have appointed an RLO, (resident liaison officer), who is an Accent resident, to act as that first point of contact on the ground. The RLO will ensure any queries and concerns are resolved and that customers are kept fully up to date with what is going on. 

We will confirm the details of that appointment but, in the meantime, if you need to get in touch with the RLO for any reason, please email us first, Aldershotfiresafety@accentgroup.org.

Cornerstone are very keen to work on this project. They have a great track record in delivering this type of work which they will put to good use. They also fully understand that there can be no compromise in customer safety or quality on a project of this scale and importance.

What the work Involves

At Stafford House, the work is expected to take 9 -12 months. It will involve demolishing the four top floor flats and fitting a new, three-layer felt insulated roofing system. The existing gable end cladding will be removed and replaced with Brickslip cladding. There will be some general ‘making good’ decorations where needed afterwards

We are investing over £3 million on the improvements to both blocks.

We are delighted to announce that we have now formally appointed Cornerstone to carry out the fire safety work at Alexander and Stafford House.

Cornerstone specialise in insulation works, particularly external wall insulation. They are based in Norfolk, but work in a number of areas, including Cambridge, Bedfordshire and Suffolk, and they have worked with a number of housing associations, including Flagship, Freebridge and United Living. They can now add Accent to that list. Cornerstone are a family run business, formed in 2004, and employing around 25 people. They were named Energy Efficiency Installer of the Year in 2019.

What the work will Involve?

At Stafford House, the work is expected to take 9 -12 months. It will involve demolishing the four top floor flats and fitting a new, three-layer felt insulated roofing system. The existing gable end cladding will be removed and replaced with Brickslip cladding. There will be some general ‘making good’ decorations where needed afterwards.

Your Questions and Answers

Cornerstone have responded to your questions.  

What are the current timescales for the works? For Stafford House, 9-12 months although these time could be subject to change. Cornerstone will aim to complete the work on time or even a bit earlier if possible, but they will not compromise the quality of the work or your safety. 

What is the situation with parking at the blocks whilst work is ongoing? We have secured alternate parking in the multi storey car park in the town centre for residents as both car parks at the schemes need to close for access and safety reasons.  A bike storage pen will be provided at Alexander House, near the current bike store.

Is the building still insured whilst the works are ongoing? Yes.

Will there be plastic sheeting on the scaffolding for Stafford House? Netting will be fixed around the scaffolding. It will mean that some natural light is blocked out.

What is the official start date? From today (week commencing 28 March). As long as there are no delays, scaffolding will start to go up from 4 April. Putting up the scaffolding will take 8 – 12 weeks.

Cornerstone are very keen to work on this project. They have a great track record in delivering this type of work which they will put to good use. They also fully understand that there can be no compromise in customer safety or quality on a project of this scale and importance.

Whilst work is underway, Cornerstone will be your main point of contact. A resident liaison officer will be appointed to make sure things go as smoothly as possible and keep up a good flow of conversation between residents, Accent and Cornerstone. Details of who to contact will be available shortly.

Thank you for your continuing patience.  

We have now appointed a contractor to carry out the fire safety works. They are Cornerstone (East Anglia Ltd). They are fully qualified for this type of work. You can find out more details about Cornerstone here, https://www.cornerstonelimited.co.uk/

At present, we are going through all the details for the work and finalising the contract. Subject to everything going to plan, we expect Cornerstone to start work during the week beginning 4 April 2022. Cornerstone have said they expect to complete the work on both blocks in 12 to 18 months.

As part of Cornerstone's experience in carrying out this type of work, they are appointing a resident liaison officer who can be there to support customers, and they are currently looking for someone to fill that role. The role will involve liaising with everyone living in the blocks to make sure everyone is supported through every stage of the work.

The hope is to appoint someone based locally to Aldershot and, as one of our residents, you are very welcome to apply. You will need to have experience in resident liaison, or other customer service work. You will also need good administrative and Microsoft Office skills. PLEASE NOTE THIS JOB POST HAS NOW CLOSED.

Cornerstone are hoping to appoint someone as soon as possible, so please apply quickly if you are interested. The post is being advertised nationally, not just in Accent. If you think you’d like to apply, but you are not sure if you have the skills, please get in touch with Cornerstone directly. 

Cornerstone will then be in regular contact with everyone as work begins and progresses. With their experience in managing such projects and, because they will be present on site to answer any questions you might have, they will be your main contact while work is happening.

Before work starts, if you would like to speak to us about the work, please get in touch on 0345 678 0555 or email us at Aldershotfiresafety@accentgroup.org

If you are a leaseholder who lets out your flat privately, please advise your tenants of this update.

Questions and answers following our residents meeting on 10 November 2021.

Q: Why has it taken so long to appoint someone to do the works?

A: It took longer than expected to prepare the legal contract and specification of works before we could go out to tender in the summer. This was partly due to changes in the required works due to Government guidance, but also so we could make changes to the specification to try and improve the process by learning from the difficulties other housing associations were reporting when carrying out similar projects elsewhere.

Unfortunately, when we then went out to tender, we only received one application, and we did not feel we could proceed with that contractor. There is a lot of this type of work out there at the moment, and a high demand for contractors, as well as challenges with labour and materials.

Q:What are the current timescales for the works?

A: We are in direct discussions with a couple of contractors interested in the work and we have asked them to submit a price and a programme of work by the end of the year. We have said that we would like them to start on site by April 2022, but we will not be able to confirm this until we have considered their proposal and appointed one of them. We will keep you updated.

A: Will there be plastic sheeting on the scaffolding for Alexander House?

A: There will be netting around the scaffolding for safety, but it will not be wrapped in plastic sheeting. This may mean a bit less natural daylight can circulate, but there shouldn’t be much difference.

Q:What will be the parking arrangements for those with allocated spaces at Alexander House whilst the work is going on?

A: We have looked at a number of options in the local area. We are currently talking to Aldershot Football Club about parking spaces there.

However, the club’s parking area may be converted, so we might not be able to make use of the parking spaces. If we can’t, we will explore other options, including the suggested Casino Close.

Q: Is the building still insured, and how is the ongoing works affecting the buildings insurance?

A: Yes, the building is still insured. We have been keeping the insurance company updated on progress with the project. Building insurance remains in place, and shared owners are able to make claims as and when required, as normal.

Q: When will you provide a further update?

A: We will be providing a further update in the new year, after the current discussions with possible contractors are completed.

Leaseholder / Shared Ownership Questions

Q: Will Accent re-visit their policy not to buy back properties due to the time the works are taking to complete?

A: As this is an unprecedented situation outside of Accent’s control, which is affecting many thousands of homeowners and housing associations across the UK, we are not currently offering buy backs.

Q: Can shared owners staircase at the current mortgage value of the properties?

A: We deem the properties to be valuable assets and as such, this will be reflected in any staircasing applications. If you would like more information on staircasing, colleagues in the asset sales team can help. However, if you need funding from a mortgage company to staircase, we would recommend that you consider this after the work has been completed and the EWS1 form has been issued.

Q: Will the EWS1 form be completed during the works or on completion?

A: Our current position is that we will arrange for this to be completed after the works are done. We are keeping this under review and taking advice from our specialist surveyors, Podium.

Q: Although you are allowing shared owners to sub-let now, will we be able to find any tenants with the work going on?

A: Yes, we believe there is high demand for private rented properties at the moment. One resident commented that they had not had any problems finding tenants to sub- let to. We would encourage you to be open and transparent with your tenants about the fire safety work planned, and to pass on any updates we provide to you.

Unfortunately, to date, we have not been able to appoint a contractor to carry out the required work to remove the cladding and fit new windows at Stafford House. This means we cannot confirm a start date for when work can begin. We can understand how disappointing and frustrating this may be. 

Contract law and legislation requires us to use a formal tender process to appoint a suitable contractor to carry out such major work, which has taken time. Unfortunately, when we sought contractors to tender for the work, we only received one application at the end of the tender process. For a number of reasons, we did not feel we could offer this contractor the work.

Work of this nature is presently in very high demand. There are many other housing associations and local authorities which also need to carry out this type of work. This high demand is resulting in a shortage of appropriate contractors. We consider this work to be both necessary and urgent but, due to the high demand for contractors, any that are suitably qualified and experienced are already working on major projects that could take considerable time to complete. If we combine this with the increasing price of materials and shortage of supplies, we find ourselves in the almost unprecedented situation of not being able to secure a suitable contractor to carry out the work. 

Despite the position we are in with the tender process, we are looking at what else we can do, within legal and legislative guidelines, to secure a contractor. We are presently in early discussions with two contractors who are reviewing the work needed, while we assess their experience and capability for the work. We will keep you updated on the progress.

Due to these exceptional circumstances, we are willing to discuss the possibility of allowing our shared owners to sublet their home if they wish to sell while the work is being arranged and completed. Anyone who is a shared owner, who feels sub-letting would help should contact home ownership specialist Chris Harrison on 0345 678 0555, email: chris.harrison@accentgroup.org. Leaseholders are entitled to sublet their home as part of their lease, but must inform us if they intend to do so, it is a requirement of the lease.   

We can understand residents will have concerns and questions, so we have arranged a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, 10 November 2021 from 4.00 pm with a number of senior Accent managers present. Anyone who can’t attend the meeting can email us at Aldershotfiresafety@AccentGroup.org or contact us on 0345 678 555. 

Our residents' safety remains our top priority and, until such a time we can confirm when work will start, we will keep everyone updated via email, letter and on this webpage. 

If you are a leaseholder who lets out your flat privately, please advise your tenants of this update.

We can now confirm that the specification for the works has now been finalised, and we are now in a position to go out to tender, which is good news. Unfortunately, the actual process of appointing a contractor will take further time to complete and, it is with more apologies, that we have to say we do not expect the work to begin until at least the autumn.

Although we are hopeful that we will be in a position to start work in the autumn, we need to point out that this is not only subject to us being able to appoint a suitable contractor, it is also subject to appointing one who can commit to starting the work as soon as we want them to. We will, of course, do our best to appoint a contractor who can start as soon as possible, but there are legal and legislative processes we have to follow, to ensure we appoint the right contractor with the experience of undertaking this type of specialist fire safety work. We are also seeing that contractors are in very high demand.

We appreciate this is probably not what you expected, or wanted, to hear and we can only try to reassure you that we are doing our very best to get this important fire safety work arranged.  

We would like to further reassure you that your safety remains our number one priority and, until such a time when we can confirm an actual date for the work to start, we will keep in contact with you and provide any updates we can, via email and here. We are also keeping in touch with Rushmoor Council and local councillors, as we know some residents are contacting them, and we want to be able to reassure them that we are working to appoint the right contractor and start the work as soon as possible.

If you are a leaseholder who lets out your flat privately, please advise your tenants of this update.

We have received confirmation from Rushmoor Borough Council that they have approved the planning application for the fire safety works at Stafford House.

Click to view the Council’s planning portal and includes more details about the decision.

We are finalising the specification of work and contract documents, and the next stage is to tender the works and appoint a contractor, which will be in the next couple of months.

Accent Housing have been working hard to ensure the fire safety of the high rise buildings our residents occupy, meets the latest legislation and guidance, following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

We have taken positive steps at each stage, following investigations into the construction of the top floor flats and the external rainscreen cladding at Stafford House. A number of shortfalls have been identified. We have been liaising with Rushmoor Borough Council, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and other key safety stakeholders in implementing all interim recommendations.

Our longer term view is that the top floor flats will need to be removed and the rainscreen cladding on the gable end will need to be replaced. Specifications have been prepared to ensure our buildings meet the latest Building Regulations Approved Documents.

This page has been created as a source of information for you, our customers, and to keep you updated with the remedial works project.