Greenside, Alton Road

Thanks for your question Tom.

Once we take PC from Mulalley, all the handover documentation is collated and reviewed to make sure it is correct, in preparation for the building registration process. This includes documentation we have been collecting over the construction period, and documents Mulalley have to provide at PC. 

Example of why we need to thoroughly check documents:

Changes are sometimes made during the construction process that require changes to the drawings. We have to check the documents we receive at PC match the correct drawings. This process can be time consuming due to the volume of documents received. We have a team set up specifically to review documentation on BSR schemes. 

We have received most of the documentation required for us to take PC. It is the review of the documents that is most time consuming as we need to ensure they are correct before submitting them for BSR.  

Once PC is achieved, we can share an update and timeline with you on the next steps towards occupation.

The next update will be on Wednesday 8 January. 

Thank you for your question Paul. 

The Government has announced that as of April 2025, the stamp duty land tax thresholds will change. The thresholds will vary based on individual circumstances. There will also be differences in the way buyers have elected to pay stamp duty that will determine whether any stamp duty is paid at the point of purchase. We will not cover any increased costs relating to stamp duty for this reason. 

We advise you to consult with your solicitor for advice on whether your stamp duty cost will increase if there is a delay into April. The advice will depend on your individual circumstances and on how you have elected to pay.  

Thank you for your question Eirini. 

We understand your frustration with the delays. Progress is being made but we don't include every detail of works in progress in our fortnightly updates. We've just added new photos to the webpage that illustrate some of the progress being made, inside and out. 

The items you mention are not complete because they take many weeks to investigate and come up with solutions (water ingress) or to obtain the necessary permissions to carry out the work (s278 works, VM cables). Where we have information about expected timescales we have shared these in the fortnightly updates. 

In our updates we estimate timescales as best we can, based on information available to us at the time. Mulalley has stated a potential PC for November, but we can’t be certain of this date due to the outstanding matters as advised in our last update. As with any development, we cannot foresee what else may occur during construction. 

It's the responsibility of our colleagues and specialist consultants to monitor and ensure the successful and timely completion of work to the required standards. Some of the ways we check progress on site include:

• Monthly site progress meetings with the contractor
• Weekly Clerk of Works inspections (escalated through snag & de-snag process)
• Employers Agent on-site inspections
• Witness testing

If there are any concerns we increase our site presence while the issue is resolved. 

We will continue to press Mulalley over the delays and request an accurate timescale for completion. However it remains true that we have limited control over when they reach PC. 

Thank you for letting us know this was not clear, Tom.

The approval process in our previous response relates to both planning and compliance matters. I apologise as that added to confusion in what is already very complex.  

To be clear, the lifts are not a planning requirement, but a building control requirement. The NMA means we can occupy as long as we've achieved PC with all other matters concluded (for example, lifts), regardless of approval (of s278 works) or whether the works have started or not. We provided a list of some of these matters (numbered 1-5) in our original response. 

Please remember that for those purchasing in Block B, the main consideration in terms of when you'll be able to occupy is the BSR process. 

We have found in some instances, that providing more and more detailed information can become confusing, and subsequently leads to more detailed questions that go beyond the intended purpose of the updates. However, in this case it may help to see the wording of the Council approvals relating to the s278 Condition 22 of the planning approval, listed below.

The original NMA stated: 

'The development hereby approved shall be completed in accordance with the Section 278 Agreement dated 18th October 2022. The approved highway works shall be completed in full by 30th September 2024 at the latest, or in accordance with an alternative date first agreed in writing with the Council. No more than 54 shared ownership units shall be occupied prior to completion of the highways works. None of the extra care accommodation within Block A [and D] shall be occupied until the highway works have been installed and completed in full and to the Council's satisfaction'. 

The alternative date agreed in writing with the Council by email: 

'I understand these works are now to be completed by 31 December 2024 and a further extension of time is required in order for the occupation of the shared ownership units to take place. As allowed by the revised condition above, an alternative date can be agreed in writing with the Council. Following discussions with my colleagues in highways, we can agree to the extension of time until 31 December 2024 to undertake the approved highway works. This is on the basis that none of the extra care units are occupied until these highway works have been installed and completed in full to the Council’s satisfaction. This has been confirmed via your email dated 07 October 2024. In the meantime please continue to liaise with highway colleagues and other relevant bodies in relation to the outstanding works'.

In summary, the shared ownership blocks can be occupied before works are completed. It is not within our gift to confirm when the Highways Department will approve works to proceed. The works will take place upon approval by the road safety auditor and permits issued for all works relating to the s278 crossover works, the Virgin Media and BT lowering of servicing works.

Where our updates are unclear, or lead to misunderstanding as in this case, we welcome feedback and will do our best to explain things more clearly. However, our focus needs to remain on providing information, wherever possible, that helps inform decisions. 

Hi Tom

Thank you for your additional question. 

I believe our previous response may have covered this but please get in touch if it remains unclear. 

To reiterate, it's the approval process that may hold up PC (and subsequent occupation). The s278 works themselves do not need to be completed prior to occupation. 

Hi Tom

Thank you for sharing your questions.

There is now only one outstanding planning condition - the s278 crossover works. The non-material amendment allows occupation of Block B & C prior to those works being carried out up until 31 December.

Approval of the s278 is not in our gift to control. The Highways department at the Council have a strict audit process leading to acceptance of the crossover drawings before they’re submitted to the road safety auditor for their independent and impartial sign off. We have included estimated timescales for this in our update (see What this means for our timeline). Please note the different timescales for Blocks B and C.

Our contractor, Mulalley has not yet achieved Practical Completion for a number of reasons, which we've flagged in our updates. Alongside the lift works, these include: 

1. Submission and acceptance of s278 crossover drawings including Virgin Media & BT lowering of services.
2. Provision of compliance documentation required for handover (EPCs, lift certificates, Building Control sign off, Building Warranty sign off etc).

3. Provision of handover documentation, such Operations & Maintenance Manuals, Health & Safety files, Approved Document B Regulation 38 pack, etc.

4. NHBC certification, including the updated fire strategy that will demonstrate that fire safety measures are in place for phased occupation.

5. Water ingress remedial works to lower ground floor flats in both shared ownership blocks.

Practical Completion is achieved when our contractor completes the work required to fulfill the requirements of PC. Our EA is not able to accept PC until all these actions are complete. 

As we've said previously, we will be able to better assess the timeline for occupation of all Blocks once we’ve reached PC. Until then, we can only provide estimates and these are subject to change. 

Regarding the lift, Mulalley has made suggestions for remediation that need to be reviewed by our consultant. As you might expect, the solution needs to be robust and compliant. Until we know which solution is being taken forward, we cannot provide a timeline for the work. We expect to have this information by the next update.

Thanks for your question, Tom
The six-month period we previously allowed is to assist in collating and validating the thousands of documents required for registration of Block B, whilst also giving consideration to the period it will take for the Regulator to review and approve the submission. We have already started this process, but many documents will not be available until Practical Completion so we have allowed the six-month window.  

We are hopeful we can manage this anticipated delay within the window we have allowed, because we will continue to gather and process the documentation in tandem. For this reason, the delay does not necessarily mean the overall timeline for Building Safety Registration will be extended. 

As previously advised, we will be able to better assess the timeline for occupation once we’ve reached PC.

Hi Alex, Thanks for your question.  

Whilst we are no longer expecting to achieve PC in October, it does not necessarily mean the overall timeline for Building Safety Registration will be extended. We will work to recover this delay from within the six-month period we have allowed for registration. We do not anticipate any further delay to occupation of Block B, and we will also be able to better identify the impact of any delay to occupation of Block C by our next update.