GRENFELL TOWER EMERGENCY RESIDENTS MEETING
On Sunday 8th March the Grenfell Action Group conducted a door knocking exercise in Grenfell Tower to gather support for an emergency residents meeting. We received an overwhelmingly positive response.
Grenfell residents are completely fed up with the TMO/Rydon’s policy of ‘divide and rule’ of the Grenfell Tower community and we are determined to unite as a group to exercise our collective power.
We are appallled at the cheap and badly designed boxing-in in the communal hallway that has already deprived residents of so much precious floor space and could have been better designed by a two year old child. We are seeking assurances from the TMO and Rydon’s that they will not be committing similar acts of vandalism within our own properties.
We are not satisfied with the TMO/Rydon’s intention of giving residents no choice over where the new boilers will be positioned inside their properties and favouring the cheapest and most unsightly option.
Consequently we wrote to Claire Williams, Project Manager at the TMO, on 10th March. We reproduce her wholly inadequate and unhelpful response below:
“The TMO has consulted residents on the heating proposal, in group sessions and also individually. Rydon are discussing the heating layout with each household as works progress, as there are some options for pipework layouts where furniture or practicality demands.
There is a misunderstanding on the HIU location – the proposed position was not determined by cost. The location is determined by technical regulations (it needs to be close to a drainage point); and now we have accessed more homes it is clear that the existing pipework ducts behind the bathroom and wc are not easily accessible. So this is the best technical solution for plumbers working in occupied properties– ie cause less disruption to the building fabric, which will also mean we will not need to be in homes for longer than necessary. It has been noted in every newsletter since October 2014 that works would be undertaken within the flats in the new year, so this should not be a surprise.
I note that working in residents’ homes when they are fully occupied and furnished is not simple. This is why we looked to a contractor with this type of experience with Resident Liaison Officers to work with residents. The existing layout of Grenfell meant that the solution was never going to be easy – but the TMO could not afford to wait for the heating system to fail before it undertook works. Please ask any residents with queries to either talk to Rydon’s RLOs or they can contact me direct.
We will be carrying on with our works programme.”
WE CONSIDER MS WILLIAM’S RESPONSE TO BE EXACTLY THE KIND OF BLAND AND PREDICTABLE ‘PR’ WHITEWASH WITH WHICH WE ARE ALL SO FAMILIAR, AND WE FIND IT COMPLETELY LACKING IN ANY ATTEMPT TO FIND A COMPROMISE SOLUTION THAT MIGHT EMPOWER RESIDENTS IN ANY MEANINGFUL WAY.
WE WILL THEREFORE BE HOLDING AN EMERGENCY MEETING FOR GRENFELL TOWER RESIDENTS ON TUESDAY 17TH MARCH AT 6.45PM IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM AT THE FOOT OF GRENFELL TOWER (IE THE COMMUNITY ROOM IN THE CARETAKERS OFFICE).
WE STRONGLY URGE RESIDENTS OF GRENFELL TOWER TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT TO DEMAND AND USE THE COLLECTIVE VOICE THAT WE HAVE BEEN DENIED FOR FAR TOO LONG.
Grenfell Action Group 