Several councils have agreed to stop housing families in emergency accommodation at Britannia Point in Colliers Wood, south-west London, after it emerged that tenants were told they could not use air conditioning during heatwaves. The 19-storey glass-fronted building is owned by Criterion Capital, set up by billionaire property magnate Asif Aziz.
Councils take action
Wandsworth council, which placed residents in the block, is now making “immediate” plans to remove its tenants. A Wandsworth council spokesperson said: “As ever, the welfare of residents is our priority and we are working at pace to ensure suitable alternative accommodation is available.”
Sutton council said it had already stopped placing people there and was “working closely with all remaining Sutton residents in the building to ensure they are able to move to other accommodation”. Croydon council said it faced very high demand for temporary accommodation, was not removing people, but had raised concerns with Criterion and that council staff had been carrying out “welfare checks” with those in the block.
Residents' struggles
Benice Bodah, 48, who lives with her three teenage sons in a two-bedroom flat, said the built-in air-conditioning unit had worked only intermittently in almost three years. On Wednesday, the unit was working, but she could not afford the extra cost of £35 to £50 each month to run it. “It has not been easy, but what can we do?” she said.
Another tenant, Sabrina Walters, raised concerns over her children’s health as her one-year-old daughter was overheating and her 12-year-old had suffered cluster nose bleeds, which can be caused by overheating. “I’m not fussed about myself, but when it comes to my child’s health, especially at that age: she’s one year old, she didn’t ask to be over-dehydrated,” said Walters. “She’s clammy, so you can tell it’s her body fighting to keep cool. That really pissed me off.”
After weeks without working air conditioning, Walters raised the matter with her local MP and the unit was turned back on. She said other residents still had broken units.
Building owner response
A spokesperson for Criterion Capital said: “As the freeholder, we engage with our leaseholders and encourage them to work with local authorities to support tenants in these unprecedented circumstances.” Aura Assets Management, the letting agency managing the temporary tenancies, has been approached for comment. Aura previously told the Guardian the air conditioning was now “fully operational” and that an email saying tenants could not use it had been “issued by the building management” based on “information and operational arrangements in place at the time”.
Stuart Neaverson, a Labour councillor in Merton who has been assisting residents, called on other councils to follow suit. “Criterion Capital, who own the building and the air conditioning units, need to explain how this could ever happen and why some residents are still going without while temperatures hit 35C,” he said.
