Cladding nightmare leaves Ipswich residents feeling 'trapped'

Residents in a block of flats in Ipswich say they feel trapped and angry because of safety concerns in their building. 

Cardinal Lofts on the town's waterfront has cladding, which puts the building at a higher fire risk.

But now, leaseholders have been told they may have to foot the bill for some of the urgent fire safety measures and their properties have become virtually unsaleable.

Alex cannot sell his flat because of the cladding issue Credit: ITV News Anglia

Alex Dickin has lived in the building for five years.  He wants to move.  But because mortgage companies will not lend to prospective buyers, he is stuck.

“I’ve got so much stress and anxiety surrounding this situation,” Alex explains. “I’m trapped. I can’t move up the property ladder and I can’t move on with my life.  I’ll have to live here in this potentially unsafe building until this is resolved.”

The cladding also causes expensive problems for other residents.  The property management company has had to introduce fire marshalls and a new alarm system, and residents have received invoices and notifications that they could be liable for some of the costs.

Claire is one of the residents worried they will have to cover costs Credit: ITV News Anglia

Claire Hamblion is one of the residents. She says the costs could equate to as much as£300 per flat per month.

“I feel very angry about it,” Claire says. “We didn’t build these buildings. They apparently have safety faults that are none of our own making. We don’t own these buildings, and yet it’s our responsibility to pay. We just don’t know how they’re going to afford it.”

Earlier in the week a damning report by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee stated:

The government have set aside £1.6bn to meet the costs of removing dangerous materials from buildings like Cardinal Lofts.

But current estimates suggest that nationally it could cost £15bn, leaving a huge shortfall.

In the Commons on Tuesday, the housing minister Chris Pincher told MPs the government will not write an open cheque.   

Cladding means the building is now assessed as a greater fire risk Credit: ITV News Anglia

Block Management Ltd, which manages Cardinal Lofts, told us: “We welcome the government advice and we are working with leaseholders to ensure they are kept updated throughout this difficult time. We are also working with our client to try to achieve the best possible outcome for all leaseholders”.

Meetings are ongoing with residents; and they’re hoping with lobbying and in light of the recent report, they won’t have to pay enormous costs. 

But in the meantime, people like Alex remain trapped.  And there is an urgency for these buildings to be made safe – and someone’s going to have to foot that bill.