Barking: New-build balcony partially collapses on to pavement below

Residents living in a new-build apartment complex in east London say they fear for their safety after a balcony partially collapsed.

Huge pieces of rotten wood and debris fell on to the pavement in front of a block on the Gascoigne East estate in Barking on Saturday.

Kinga Surowka, who lives directly underneath the affected balcony, said the collapse "could have been fatal".

A spokesperson for developer Bouygues said it would take "immediate action".

Ms Surowka said she heard a loud noise when the balcony collapsed at Weavers Quarter but initially put it down to a large lorry driving too fast.

"I couldn't believe it," she said. "Though it wasn't the whole balcony that collapsed, the huge metal beams around it fell down as well as the nice decorative bricks and some rotten wood.

"Thank God nobody was passing by because that could have been fatal."

She added that many residents felt "quite shocked and quite scared" and were calling for an investigation into what happened.

The block of more than 400 flats was built four years ago.

Another resident Matt Lismore claims all the flats are unsafe.

He wrote on X: "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."

Mr Lismore added that he had raised safety concerns about Weavers Quarter with Darren Rodwell, the leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, in May 2022.

Mr Rodwell said he raised the balcony façade issue in a letter to the managing director of Bouygues.

He said: "In September, L&Q, the original development agent for the scheme, served a defect notice on Bouygues about the soundness of the balcony façades.

"I understand that Bouygues have accepted this notice, but not yet liability for the work."

A Bouygues spokesperson said: "We are working hard with Reside to take immediate action, put the necessary safety measures in place and undertake appropriate remediation works.

A spokesperson for Barking and Dagenham Council said: "Thankfully no-one was hurt. Although [the incident] did not affect the structural integrity of the building, it was a horrifying experience for the people living there and represents a risk to people who may be passing by."

They added: "Following further reports from residents that they were concerned about balcony safety, investigations were carried out by Reside and L&Q in consultation with our building safety team."

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