Residents of five tower blocks in Canning Town, east London, have been ordered to evacuate after structural engineers warned of an 'imminent risk to life' from an undersized and overstressed concrete slab. The first three towers were evacuated on 23 October, with notices for the remaining two issued on 30 October. Property manager Prime Property Management has told residents to cover their own temporary accommodation costs in the first instance.
The evacuation followed an inspection on 21 October that confirmed a problem with the transfer slab beneath the blocks, which are part of the Royal Gateway/Caxton Works development completed in 2018. Friday's notice said the transfer slabs were undersized and 'significantly overstressed', well beyond normal safety margins, and concluded that 'the risks are high, the potential consequences are severe and the south buildings should therefore not be occupied.'
Residents of the first three towers, Centurion, St Vincent Court, and Sovereign, were evacuated at 3am on 23 October. Around 210 households were affected. Some were offered beds in a nearby council building but a week later had not been told when they could return.
Prime Property Management advised residents they would have to 'incur the alternative accommodation costs yourself in the first instance', though it said the RTMs would be looking to recover these from 'appropriate third parties'. It suggested residents relocate to alternative accommodation free of charge, such as with family or friends, if possible, and that if they had to pay for accommodation, the costs should be reasonable. The Standard reports that correspondence seen by the newspaper showed the development's insurer had declined claims relating to temporary accommodation because it considered the issue a building defect.
James Asser, Labour MP for West Ham and Beckton, said there were 'serious questions about how long this has been a situation' and 'where the fault lies', adding: 'It's absolutely infuriating me. This shouldn't be happening to my constituents.'
Tenants reported frustration with the lack of support. One resident who wished to remain anonymous said it was unclear which organisation was responsible, and the agency outsourced by Prime had been unable to arrange housing. Some residents remained inside the buildings, feeling they had no viable alternative. Tenants said the ongoing uncertainty had a significant impact on some occupants' mental health.
A number of local businesses were also forced to close, including Rise Climbing, a bouldering gym based underneath Centurion Tower. Josh Akapo, the gym's head of marketing, said: 'It's the saddest thing in the world, this place is normally buzzing with life.' He also said: 'Having no information about when and how we get it back safely, or who will bear the cost, is literally devastating.'
After the first evacuations, John Gray, Newham's deputy mayor, said the council was on hand to support affected residents, had set up a rest centre, and encouraged residents to contact Prime for additional support.
Prime previously stated that the decision to ask residents to leave was not made lightly, that safety was its immediate priority, and that its goal was to enable residents to return home 'as quickly as possible, when it is safe to do so.'
Analysis
Why This Matters
- More than 210 households face indefinite displacement and financial strain, with no timeline for return or confirmed compensation.
- The dispute over whether the defect is insurable exposes potential gaps in building safety regulation and post-Grenfell accountability.
- Local community businesses forced to close without support risk permanent loss, damaging local social infrastructure.
Background
The five towers are part of the Royal Gateway/Caxton Works development in Canning Town, completed in 2018 by Galliard Construction. The concrete slab defect was discovered during work on building safety cases, a process that has intensified in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster. Prime Property Management, the managing agent, is seeking to recover costs from “appropriate third parties,” while the insurer has declined claims on the grounds that the issue is a building defect rather than an insurable event.
Key Perspectives
Residents: are frustrated by unclear responsibility for support, have been forced to pay for hotels out of pocket, and lack any timeline for return, with some remaining in the buildings as they have no alternative.
Prime Property Management: says safety was its immediate priority in ordering the evacuations and it will try to recover the accommodation costs from third parties, but that residents must pay upfront in the meantime.
James Asser MP: demands answers on how long the defect was known and where the fault lies, calling the situation infuriating for his constituents.
Josh Akapo (Rise Climbing): calls the forced closure “literally devastating” and criticises the lack of information, noting the inconsistency of a nursery remaining open in the potential collapse zone.
What to Watch
- The outcome of Prime's efforts to recover costs from Galliard or other third parties, and any legal challenge to the insurer's refusal to pay.
- Follow-up structural assessments of the south towers and whether they can be safely reoccupied.
- Whether Newham Council or the national government steps in to provide temporary housing without upfront cost to residents.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedFive east London towers were evacuated over warnings of an “imminent risk to life” linked to structural defects.The Standard London: “Hundreds more residents from five east London tower blocks have been told to evacuate this evening over warnings of an "imminent risk to life". The five tower blocks in Canning Town are considered at risk due to a crack in a concrete slab supporting the buildings.”
- Partly supportedThe summary says the insurer had declined claims relating to temporary accommodation.The Standard London: “Residents were informed that the development's insurer had declined claims relating to temporary accommodation costs because it considered the issue to be a building defect, according to correspondence seen by The Standard.”
- SupportedStructural engineers warned of an imminent risk to life from an undersized and overstressed concrete slab.The Standard London: “Friday’s notice added that the transfer slabs of the building are undersized and “significantly overstressed”, well beyond the safety margins that would normally be built into the design.”
- SupportedThe first three towers were evacuated on 23 October, and notices for the remaining two were issued on 30 October.The Standard London: “Today (Friday, October 30), residents in nearby Thanet Tower and Prince Court also received evacuation notices”
- SupportedThe 21 October inspection confirmed a problem with the transfer slab beneath the blocks.The Standard London: “A site inspection on October 21 then confirmed the problem.”
- SupportedThe Friday notice concluded that the south buildings should not be occupied because the risks were high and the potential consequences severe.The Standard London: ““the risks are high, the potential consequences are severe and the south buildings should therefore not be occupied.””
- SupportedAround 210 households were affected by the first evacuation, which took place at 3am on 23 October.The Standard London: “The previous evacuation of around 210 households in the north buildings carried out at 3am on Friday October 23”
- SupportedPrime told residents they would have to incur alternative accommodation costs themselves in the first instance.The Standard London: ““Given the immediate need to vacate, you will unfortunately have to incur the alternative accommodation costs yourself in the first instance.””
- SupportedJames Asser said, “It's absolutely infuriating me. This shouldn't be happening to my constituents.”The Standard London: “He added: "It's absolutely infuriating me. This shouldn't be happening to my constituents. We need to get answers for them urgently."”
- SupportedSome residents remained inside because they felt they had no viable alternative accommodation.The Standard London: “Residents told The Standard that some occupants remain inside the buildings because they feel they have no viable alternative accommodation”
- SupportedJosh Akapo said, “It's the saddest thing in the world, this place is normally buzzing with life.”The Standard London: “Josh told The Standard: “It’s the saddest thing in the world, this place is normally buzzing with life.””
- SupportedJosh Akapo said having no information about when the gym could reopen safely or who would bear the cost was “literally devastating.”The Standard London: ““Having no information about when and how we get it back safely, or who will bear the cost, is literally devastating.””