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Peggy Chapel |
Brrr… as estate loses heating in mid-winter
Tenants ask: ‘Why did they not replace boilers in summer?’
PENSIONERS shivered on a King’s Cross estate this week when they were left without heating on some of the coldest days of the year.
While a new boiler system is being installed, tenants on the listed, Berthold Lubetkin-designed Priory Green estate have been urged to keep warm by using electric fires, rather than trying to save on fuel costs.
Tenants’ representative John Worker asked why the Peabody Trust, which manages the estate, decided to do the work in the middle of winter.
He added: “They’ve known about the two problem boilers for a couple of years. Why couldn’t they have installed new ones in the summer when the heating was off?”
Of the 600 people living on the estate which Lubetkin – the man who created London Zoo’s much-loved penguin pool – designed in the early 1950s, at least 20 per cent are pensioners, including many living on their own.
Mr Worker added that many elderly people would not switch on extra fires because they did not know if they would be compensated.
Installation of the two new boilers is expected to take nine weeks.
Resident June Upham, 69, said the heating had not worked properly since September. She added: “Occasionally the heating comes on but it is lukewarm. My son brought me an extra heater but I still feel the cold. I would rather have extra clothes on than burn electric fires for too long.”
Peggy Chapel, who has lived on the estate for more than 50 years, has been without heating since October. She said: “The problem is apparently a leaking pipe in the old boiler system, which has meant two new boilers are being installed.
“None of the radiators in my flat work at the moment. In the summer it wouldn’t have been a problem but it has been freezing this week. They did offer to supply me with a fan heater, but I had already bought two of my own.
“I don’t know if Peabody is going to compensate me for heavier electricity bills. I wrote to them but all they said was that some people will be refunded.”
Jean Tidy arrived on Monday with a new heater for her elderly mother, Betty Douglas, 85, who lives on the estate. Mrs Tidy said: “I’m worried about my mum. I don’t want her to catch cold.”
Pensioner Peter Simms, 74, said the hot water supply was often as irregular as the heating. “A few years ago they carried out repairs on the old boiler and told us it would last for 20 years,” he added. “Now the work will take nine weeks during what could be one of the coldest winters ever.”
The estate has three boilers which provide heating and hot water to 288 homes. One of the boilers was replaced in March. The other two boilers worked well until the onset of winter, says Peabody.
A new boiler has been delivered and is due to be installed today (Friday), with the other boiler being replaced in the new year.
A Peabody spokeswoman said: “Residents who reported a boiler-related complaint have all been provided with a temporary heater. Peabody has a customer service call centre to respond to emergencies from 8am-8pm and an out-of-hours service should an emergency arise.
“We will consider all compensation claims on a case-by-case basis, provided residents report issues as they arise. It is essential that residents call Peabody direct on 0800 0224040 to inform us of their heating and hot water problems.” |
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