I met residents of Furze Court, a residential complex of three properties to the north of Fareham town, who are concerned for their safety and have listed a large number of potential risks.
I have contacted Ensign Management, responsible for the maintenance and management of Furze Court, but they have failed to address the long list of issues.
It has been revealed that Ensign Management have been asked on numerous occasions to disclose the Fire Risk Assessments’ (FRA), drainage calculations and the Design Risk Assessment for the three properties. Under Construction Design Management regulations a duty is placed on the Developer, which in the case of Furze Court is Ambitio Ltd, and the freeholders to hold a Health and Safety File which they maintain throughout the lifetime of the property. But this file has not been provided when requested by residents and Suella.
Residents have now been notified of new charges for repairs and upgrades to improve the fire safety. But, many of the works should have been included in the building design, by developer Ambitio Ltd, and approved by Building Control before the property was singed off and prior to residents moving in.
An FRA dated to when residents first moved in has also not been disclosed, and many of the items they’re now being charged for would have been identified in an FRA.
An electrical fault which could have resulted in a fire was reported by residents in 2016, since then Hampshire Fire and Rescue have been called out to attend other incidents. Residents are also being billed for major electrical safety works, which again should have been part of the design stage and signed off as part of the building regulation and control.
This comes as fire notices, which state that risks have been identified and issued by Hampshire Fire and Rescue, have been served on all 3 buildings.
Other reported problems at the property include serious drainage issues, with residents reporting cases of sewage flowing onto the communal garden area along with other issues such as damp, noise, security lighting and heating problems.
Some of the issues at Furze Court are a serious safety concern, while other problems are damaging to residents’ quality of life.
I am grateful to members of the residents committee, particularly Cllr Sarah Pankhurst, for their tireless efforts in holding Ensign Management to account.
It is unacceptable for people to continue living in conditions that could put them at risk and it is grossly unfair for residents to then have to pay for works that should’ve taken place before they moved in.
I will continue to hold talks with Ensign Management and residents until we reach a fair settlement.