Update 21/08/2024

Latest update issued 21st August 2024

We wanted to update you with the progress of our development New Kent Row, SE1.

Good progress is being made; Scaffolding is fully struck down from the development. External works to the pavements are nearly complete. Snagging to individual apartments has now started.

The contractors have however had some unforeseen delays. They have been delayed with Thames Water connection; this is now due to be connected approx. mid-September. Heating system in the apartments needs to be commissioned and tested before being approved.

As a result, handover from the contractors to Southern Housing has now been delayed. We estimated handover to now been October/November 2024.

In addition to the build delay, New Kent Row must be registered with The Building Safety Regulator (BSR). To provide context, all new developments which are over 18 meters tall, or 7 storeys must be registered and approved by BSR before we can legally occupy the homes.

The need to register this development was not anticipated when we entered into our agreement with the contractors and as such, much of the required documentation is not readily available and will need to be obtained from third parties. This will add additional delays to you occupying your home beyond October 2024. We are working with the contractors to obtain these documents.

At the moment, we cannot provide a definitive timeline for obtaining the additional documentation. What we can do is let you know what actions are and will be taken in order to obtain the documents.

Step 1 - We must review what documents we have and what documents are yet to be received.

Step 2 - Once we identify what additional documents are required by BSR, we’ll request these from the contractor who will liaise with any third parties to obtain.

Step 3 - Part of obtaining the additional documentation, further inspections will naturally need to take place within the development.

Step 4 - Once we have the full suite of documents which can be requested by BSR, this will be internally reviewed by Southern Housing building safety team

Step 5 - Once our internal building safety team have reviewed and approved the suite of documents, we will then formally submit our registration to BSR.

Step 6 - Once in receipt of our documents, BSR have up to 12 weeks to review, request additional documents and approve.

We are truly sorry this isn’t the news you were hoping for and can only apologise. Building and fire safety is extremely important to us and with regulations and legislation changing rapidly, we must adhere to the necessary requirements. I would like to reassure you we are doing everything we can to speed up the process.

Given the delay to handover and the additional steps required to register this development, its important you are aware this is not a quick process and can potentially take several months to complete. We now estimate it will be January 2025 before you can move into your new home. Please note this is just an estimation and subject to change. If we can however complete the process sooner, we’d love nothing more than to move you in as soon as possible.