Clare House Bow Clarion Housing Group Official Statement

Below is the official media statement released by Clarion Housing Group concerning the evacuation at Clare House, Bow

But before that the Enquirer has these questions that need answering by Clarion Housing Group.

1. When was Clarion Housing Group aware that there might be a serious problem at Clare House?
2. When did they take action and what was this action?
3. When did they receive any report about this issue?
4. Are there any other Clarion Housing Group properties in Tower Hamlets that have similar problems?
5. Have London Fire Brigade had communications with Clarion Housing Group about fire and safety issues at Clare House?
6. Why has Clarion Housing Group consistently refused to be open with Cllr Marc Francis and Tower Hamlets Council about Clare House fire and safety issues?
7. Is it correct that Clarion Housing Group wanted residents out by 1st October 2021 as home loss payments increase on that date? Regulation 2(3) increases the amount of home loss payment under section 30(2) of the Act from £6,500 to £7,100. The revised amounts apply where the date of displacement is on or after 1st October 2021.

(Thanks to @cricketcarl for that last question! Follow him on Twitter for coverage of Clare House incident.)

Clarion Housing Group official media statement

Clarion to permanently move all residents of Clare House, Tower Hamlets

Following receipt of a fire safety report from an engineering advisory consultancy, Clarion Housing Group has made the difficult decision to permanently move all 120 households out of Clare House with immediate effect.

Clarion commissioned expert independent reports for all buildings over 18 metres following government guidance and this report has concluded that Clare House cannot be kept safe without major refurbishment, or demolition and rebuilding.

As a consequence, Clarion has decided a permanent move for every household in the building is the only responsible and immediate course of action. The process of moving residents out of the building starts this morning.

Clare Miller, Chief Executive Officer at Clarion said:

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we will always prioritise our residents’ safety above all else.”

“The focus right now is doing everything in our power to support Clare House residents as they move into temporary accommodation.”

“We have a comprehensive package of support for residents and there will be a round the clock waking watch in the building, as we help people move out in an orderly fashion.”

History of the building

While Clarion progressed its investigations at Clare House it put in place a waking watch, sprinklers and a new alarm system to mitigate against any increased risk a fire could create. However, our inspections and the latest report concluded that not every part of the building meets the latest required government standards for Large Panel System (LPS) buildings. The future of the building will be decided upon in due course.

The process

• Clare Miller (Group Chief Executive) and Michelle Reynolds (Group Chief Operating Officer) briefed the Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing at Tower Hamlets at 17:15 on the 28th September
• Letters are dropping on the door of every house at Clare House between 10am and 11am on the 29th September
• The letters advise the residents that they need to leave the building over the next few days
• Clarion will be providing immediate temporary accommodation for all residents and is already working to identify permanent alternatives in the community
• There will be a major Clarion presence on site today, answering residents questions and providing support with all elements of their move out of the building
• Residents are also being advised that they are entitled to a home disturbance payment and that their temporary accommodation and transport costs to local schools will be covered by Clarion