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Camden New Journal - by RICHARD OSLEY
Published: 13 September 2007

The collapsed wall in Wendling estate

Row over who pays for wall repairs

Town Hall told leaseholders should not have to pay for council’s ‘incompetence’

A ROW has broken out over who should foot the bill for rebuilding the council estate wall which collapsed and killed a two-year-old boy.
Housing chiefs have been accused of being distasteful for asking leaseholders to pay for a new boundary wall for the Wendling Estate in Southampton Road while the investigation into the cause of its collapse is still taking place.
The temporary netting which currently lines back gardens on the estate is a constant reminder of two-year-old Saurav Ghai’s tragic death.
He was killed when a section of the wall gave way during high winds in January, covering him in bricks.
His parents Vinai and Desiree Ghai, who live nearby, are still waiting for an inquest into their son’s death, due to be held at St Pancras Coroner’s Court in November.
Also yet to be completed is an inquiry by the Health and Safety Execiutive, the national watchdog, which is due to deliver a report on whether Camden failed in its duty to ensure its estates are safely maintained.
Soon after Saurav’s death, the remainder of the wall was examined by HSE specialists before it was taken down in a wholesale demolition.
The Town Hall admitted yesterday that it has already collected quotes for the cost of rebuilding the wall and that leaseholders would be asked to contribute.
Some residents privately feel the council’s approach is based on a misguided confidence that it will be cleared of any faulty maintenance in the future and therefore is within its rights to ask for money.
Ward councillor Keith Sedgwick has always insisted that the wall, as well as others in the area, was not properly looked after.
He said: “It is outrageous that leaseholders should be asked to pay for rebuilding a wall that wasn’t put up properly in the first place.”
Cllr Sedgwick, who was interviewed by HSE inspectors earlier this year, said he had raised the issue with the housing department, not because it was a special case but because leaseholders were regularly asked to foot the bill for “shoddy work”.
He said: “It is not fair for the leaseholders to have to pay for the council’s incompetence. People do not have faith in the quality of the contractors that the council hires.”
Larraine Revah, chairwoman of the Gospel Oak District Management Organisation, said that her committee had asked the council to treat the matter as “a sensitive case” with members agreeing that leaseholders should not be asked to help.
A Town Hall press official said: “The council will be rebuilding the entire wall, not only the section that collapsed. We will seek contributions from leaseholders for the repair to the wall according to the terms of the lease and the collapsed section will be dealt with by insurance.
“We have recently received the tenders for the proposed work and will be continuing the consultation with the leaseholders on the estate regarding the proposed works and cost.”

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