HARLOW Council has taken swift action to tackle a developing situation with Adams House (in the town centre) and has instructed the building owners London & Quadrant (L&Q) to take urgent action to make safe a balcony.

The council became aware of the problem after a resident of the building reported to us that there are safety issues with one of the wooden balconies to the rear of the building. The balcony is at risk of collapse and poses an immediate risk to the public and business owners.

As a result of this discovery officers from the council’s Building Control team have carried out a site visit to assess the extent of the damage. They have issued L&Q with a Section 78 notice, under the Building Act 1984. This notice gives the council powers to take immediate steps, if necessary, to remove the danger and recover the costs for work carried out from the building owner.

Environmental Health Officers are carrying out visits, speaking with residents, and giving advice. Business owners have been advised not to open their back doors. L&Q have also advised residents not to use their balconies and to lock their back doors for safety.

Councillor Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council, said:

“We are taking this issue very seriously and our officers have responded quickly and decisively to deal with what is a potentially dangerous situation. We are taking positive steps to ensure the damage to Adams House is dealt with swiftly.

“Although this isn’t a council-owned building and there are no council tenants living there, we will protect our communities and will always take whatever action is necessary to ensure their safety. We are working with L&Q to resolve the issue and hope to have a permanent fix in place as soon as possible but in the event they aren’t in a position to act or won’t act, we will.”

David Lewis, Executive Group Director of Property Services at L&Q, said: “The safety and well-being of our residents is our top priority. As soon as we were made aware of an issue with some of the balconies at Adams House we took action straight away, including locking the balcony doors and quickly ensuring all residents were made aware of the situation and advised not to use the balconies. We are also carrying out site visits twice a day to further reassure residents.

“We are now working closely with a surveyor and local partners to establish what work is needed to put things right, and have begun erecting scaffolding and fencing so that repairs can then be carried out as soon as possible. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused and would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding.”