Sir Keir Starmer promises a “decade of national renewal”

THE cracks were already beginning to show on a brand-new housing development opened this week by Holborn and St Pancras MP Sir Keir Starmer

A “naming ceremony” was held to mark the official unveiling of 119 new build homes on the Maitland Park estate’s community hall in Mary Prince House yesterday morning (Wednesday).

During a speech, Mr Starmer praised the new development, which includes 51 new council properties that have been “cross-funded” by the sale of private homes on the site.

The Labour Party leader pledged a “decade of national renewal” should his party secure a majority in the general election next year. He told the room: “One of our missions will be about housing, because with housing comes aspiration and opportunity.”

Mr Starmer said he wanted “to ensure that across the country, everybody gets the chance to live in accommodation as good as this accommodation that has been built here.”

But ahead of the official opening, a number of residents who have already moved into the new build flats told the New Journal they have concerns about the quality of the homes, which have been beset by damp and mould, among other problems.

Marlène Levoy and her disabled son were decanted from their flat in the new Anthony Grey Court just weeks after moving in because of damp and mould in the bathroom.

Ms Levoy has also raised concerns about fire doors in the building, which do not open and close properly.

She said: “I am so upset. I lived in [my previous home] for 18 years and it took 16 years for mould and damp to appear. Here, after less than five days we were already having trouble. “Nowadays flats are only built to last for one generation.”

Marlène Levoy in the new build flat

Other residents reported experiencing similar problems, including Jackie and Steven Howarth who have also had problems with damp in their bathroom. Ms Howarth said: “With new builds, they have to do little touch-ups.”

And Khadijah Said, who lives on the third floor, told the New Journal cracks were already appearing in the plasterwork of her children’s bedroom, and the lifts were often out of service.

Ms Said said: “At the beginning, I said it’s nice and clean – but it’s not what I expected. The quality is so poor.” At the opening ceremony, council representatives and contractors Bouygues met with Ms Levoy and visited her flat, pledging to resolve the issues she had reported as soon as possible.

Cabinet councillor Danny Beales, Camden’s regeneration chief, told the New Journal that “independent inspectors” will be visiting the new build properties in the coming weeks to “identify snags and defects that [Bouygues] have to put right.” Bouygues is responsible for fixing any faults found with the new builds in the next 12 months.

Cllr Beales said: “The contractor is still responsible and still putting those issues right.”

He said the develop­ment had delivered a net gain of 30 new council homes to the borough. “Many residents here are very happy with their flats: they’ve come from damp and mould, serious overcrowding, inaccessible flats… we’re going through that period of bits and bobs needing to be fixed and finalised,” he said.

Camden’s regeneration chief Councillor Danny Beales, who, as a parliamentary candidate in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, is also aiming to be in Mr Starmer’s team at the Commons next year 

In his own speech, Cllr Beales said cross-funding new council homes with the sale of private homes was necessary because “only six per cent of our regeneration and investment programme is nationally funded, and as ever, with more funding, we can do more.”

Asked if an incoming Labour government would boost funding for local authority building projects should theywin the next election, Cllr Beales said: “I certainly hope so.”

Labour has so far ruled out any tax rises to fund increased public spending in the next parliament.

he blocks were named after three former Camden residents: the resistance fighter Noor Inayat Khan, LGBTQ+ campaigner Antony Grey and the abolitionist, storyteller and former slave, Mary Prince.

A spokesperson for Camden Council said: “We are very sorry that Ms Levoy has experienced these problems in her home – it does not meet the high-quality standards that we require in our newly built homes.

“We would like to thank Ms Levoy for sitting down with us and our contractor, Bouygues UK, to discuss her concerns. We have given her our commitment to get her home back up to standard as quickly as we can. We will keep in regular contract with her until the job is done.”