Corner Place

Please find below the latest update on progress at Corner Place:

The ongoing works required opening up parts of the building to ensure that adequate fire safety measures and materials are in place and to make required necessary changes. We reported in the last update that a change to materials has taken place, the reason for this material change was because the original build finish used did not match the manufacturers design specification. The changes to the materials have meant that we can ensure the fire stopping in the building meets the performance requirements set out in the fire strategy. This work is expected to be completed by the end of May.

With regards to the new EWS1 forms, we are appointing a new assessor to replace the Tri Fire forms that are now void, and we are predicting the new EWS1 form to be issued in April. We await confirmation on whether the new assessor will need to open up the building to be able to carry out the checks and what access is required. There is a risk that April will not be achieved if the assessor identifies any concerns during their inspection. We do not anticipate that there will be an issue but feel it important to be transparent about the potential risks.

Once the remedial works are complete, we have the new EWS1 form, and are satisfied to sign off the final documentation, we will be submitting our application for building safety registration. This process requires us to submit key data to the Building Safety Regulator to obtain permission to occupy the building. Once this is done, the Regulator can request a Building Safety Case Report at any time. This report must provide clear evidence that the building is safe. Failure to present this could result in a heavy fine (or imprisonment / decantation in worst case scenarios). Therefore, it is Southern Housing’s policy that we will not submit the building for registration until we have assurance that we have all the information we need to create our Safety Case Reports.

Taking into consideration all of the above, we now anticipate occupation in August. We want to get buyers into their new homes as soon as we can, and we are doing everything in our power to improve upon this date. We will continue to keep you updated on progress to help you make plans and informed decisions.

We understand the frustration, inconvenience, and disappointment the continued delays are causing but hope that this update provides some context to the ongoing delays. If you have any questions regarding your individual circumstances, please do not hesitate to contact your sales progressor, Alisha. For questions relating to the construction delays, please submit your questions via the questions tab on this webpage.

We will provide the next update by 30 April 2025.

Please find below our latest update on progress at Corner Place:

The remediation works are progressing well, Elements have made some changes to the use of materials based on technical performance, we support this to minimise disruption to the completed works and for better long-term results for leaseholders. These factors have added a further 6 weeks to the completion programme, taking the predicted end date to 30 May.

Our building safety team continue to review documentation in preparation for registration, this will allow us to register the building soon after completion of the remedial works. We will be able to provide a reliable estimate of the date of occupation once we’re in a position to submit for registration.

We mentioned in the last update that we would require a new EWS1 form, we have appointed IFI to undertake the inspection and issue a revised EWS1 form and report. Once the report is received, this will be provided to your solicitor.

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work through these final stages. We're committed to delivering your new home to the highest standard, and we'll continue to keep you informed of our progress. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

We will provide our next update by Friday 28 March, but you will hear from us sooner if we achieve any key milestones before this.

For questions regarding your individual circumstances or general enquiries about the sales process, please continue to contact your progressor, Alisha. For questions specifically related to construction delays, please submit your questions via the questions tab on this webpage.

Please find below our latest update on progress at Corner Place:

Our contractor continues checking and replacing the fire protection solutions. We are currently 13 weeks into their 20-week programme, where they are progressing well, but have reported that they require an additional three weeks to complete the works taking us to April 2025.

Once the works are complete, works will be inspected for sign-off, and a review of all the final documentation will take place for submission to the Regulator. We still anticipate registration to allow occupation in Spring 2025.

We have been made aware of another issue that relates to the contractor that provided us with the EWS1 (External Wall System) form. Tri Fire is a company that provides fire safety services and EWS1 forms for building owners and developers, and this week we have been made aware that they have been sanctioned by the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) due to concerns about the quality and reliability of some of their fire risk assessments.

The concerns stem from an investigation into a fire engineer employed by Tri Fire, Adam Kiziak. Mr Kiziak has been suspended from the IFE for six months and as a result, some lenders are now rejecting EWS1 forms completed by Mr. Kiziak, and some are even rejecting those completed by Tri Fire. EWS1 forms are essential for mortgage lenders to confirm the fire safety compliance of external wall systems.

Mr. Kiziak and Tri Fire have previously conducted numerous EWS1 forms for Southern Housing and other housing providers, and they had completed the work for us at Corner Place. We understand this may be concerning, and we want to reassure you that fire safety remains our absolute priority. We are taking all necessary steps to ensure the building meets the highest standards. To ensure complete confidence in the fire safety of your building, we are now arranging for a different fire engineering consultant to carry out a new EWS1 assessment. We will need to confirm to you a timeline for this re-assessment and will share it with you as soon as possible. We anticipate this being undertaken during the current period of works, and it not delaying occupation further.

We will provide you with our next progress update on 28 February 2025.

If you wish to discuss your individual circumstances you can contact your sales progressor, Alisha. You can also contact us by email at sales@southernhousing.org.uk or via the questions tab on this webpage.

Good afternoon

Thank you for your continued patience on our Corner Place development. The latest update is as follows:

We are pleased to confirm that the contractor Elements, have started work onsite. The works are estimated to take around 20 weeks to complete ready for reinspection and sign off.

As you are aware, due to the height of the building this requires registration with the Building Safety Regulator, in line with building safety regulations that came into force in October 2023. We anticipate receiving registration to allow occupation in Spring 2025.

Next update

We will provide another update with progress on site by the end of January 2025.

If you wish to discuss your individual circumstances you can contact your sales progressor, Alisha. You can also contact us by email at sales@southernhousing.org.uk or via the link to the webpage above.

Many thanks

Lisa

Update from 12 July 2024

We have now completed the procurement process and have selected a contract to carry out the recommended works. Due to the contract value, we now have to take this to our board for approval. Once approved we are anticipating to have the works started by early October.

The works are due to take approximately 20 weeks to complete ready for reinspection and occupation sign off.

As a result of the above we are anticipating occupation to be in the Spring of 2025, we will be in a position to offer better dates once work commences. If you have mortgage offers expiring you should speak to your broker to look at your options. As usual if you wish to continue with the purchase and have to seek new mortgages, we will cover mortgage arrangement fees and valuation fee which will be in the form of a deduction from your completion statement and will be subject to proof of payment.

For those no longer wishing to wait, you should contact your solicitor to discuss options to rescind and your entitlement as a result. We will not be offering any form of goodwill or compensation.

Update June 2024

Thank you for your continued patience. Our last update in May advised that our contractor, ARJ Construction, had entered administration and that we were assessing the outstanding work required to finalise construction.

We are progressing towards getting the final works contracts awarded, however this is still in progress and has not yet been finalised, but we must advise it is anticipated that completion won't be able to take place until the end of the calendar year at the earliest. I know this will be bitterly disappointing news and we sincerely apologise that this is the case.

We would hope that you are in a position to hold on and continue with your sale, however, we accept that not everyone will be able to do so. Therefore, if you feel unable to commit to waiting until the end of the year, then we would advise you to speak first to your solicitor about your options.

If you have already exchanged on your property, you now have the opportunity to rescind your contract. If you contact us between now and 5th July and you wish to rescind your contract, then we will process this accordingly and we will kindly return your deposit monies to you, including your reservation fee. If we do not hear from you by 5th July, then we will presume you wish to remain exchanged on notice.

The dates above are not certain and remain subject to change.

We have received a number of questions from buyers, and we thought it might be useful to share these questions and answers with everyone.

1. When can I move in? We cannot provide a date.
2. When will works continue? Until a new contractor is in place, no work is being carried out at Corner Place.
3. Is end of the calendar year realistic? Please note this is the earliest we anticipate, this is not a target date to be worked towards.
4. My mortgage offer is expiring soon, what shall I do? Please speak to your financial advisor however it may be sensible to hold off renewing until an estimated handover date can be provided by us.
5. Will I be compensated for this delay? No, we have offered the opportunity to rescind the contract and reservation fee, no offer of compensation will be made should you wish to continue with the sale.
6. When will the next update be? Until a contractor has been found we are not in a position to provide regular updates. Once a contractor has been appointed and approved, we will inform you.

We apologise this is not the news you were hoping for, however we thank you for your understanding.

Kind regards

Dear All,

We understand how you've been eagerly anticipating an update regarding the completion date of your new home. We're truly disappointed to inform you that ARJ Construction, our Contractor, has informed us that they have entered administration.

In response to this unexpected development, we are currently assessing the outstanding work required to finalise construction and are seeking alternative solutions to ascertain any further delay. The Contractor has completed the core build of the works, and they were undertaking the final works following our independent fire safety consultant. These works are standard procedure and to ensure our buildings continually meet the highest building safety standards. We are also looking into the outstanding documents required to complete the Building Safety Registration process to enable us to occupations.

We understand this news may be frustrating, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused. We are committed to expediting this process as much as possible and will provide a further update with a more concrete timeline as soon as we have a clearer picture. In the meantime, we are actively exploring all options to minimise the delay. We understand that each person’s circumstances will differ, and we would recommend that you also speak to your Solicitor if you require any further advice.

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. We value your purchase and remain committed to delivering your new home as soon as possible.

Kind regards

Vikki

Director of Sales & Marketing