Margaret Davis has to be moved out of the flat as mould took hold on the walls

A GREAT grandmother is being urgently moved out of one of the council’s flagship regeneration developments after her flat was overwhelmed with damp and black mould.

Margaret Davis, 89, was one for the first in at the “Passivhaus” Wrotham Road block when it opened in 2018 after her council flat was demolished in nearby Agar Grove.

She described herself as one of the last of a generation of tenants who lived for 55 years on the estate. Ms Davis, who has a range of health conditions, said: “I was very happy in the old block, I was there 55 years. I am the last one of the original lot from there – I’m hanging on.

“You wouldn’t think this would happen in this new building. It’s just been really bad for me. The chest has been playing me up over the past couple of weeks. It’s when I’m walking along, there are lumps in the carpet from the damp. I’m unsteady. The smell is horrible.”

Margaret Davis said the smell in her recently-built flat was “disgusting”

Camden has agreed in writing to move her and all her belongings into another flat in a neighbouring block because of the mould – but this had been delayed.

Originally from Cork, Ms Davis came to Camden in 1951.

She had five children – four still alive – 17 grandchildren and several great-grand­children. Her husband Johnny, who grew up in the area, died seven months ago.

She said: “I used to work for Lyon’s Tea Shop in Golders Green. I worked in the old Chalcot School in the kitchens. And I cleaned the police stations – Kentish Town and Albany Street. “But I fell over one morning at 5.30am and hurt myself and I never went back.”

Her flat in the new block was built under Camden’s Community Investment Programme and billed as one of the largest Passivhaus design schemes in the country and winning wards for its environmental efficiency. Passivhaus – a leading international design standard – uses different types of ventilation systems.

The block in Wrotham Road was built under Camden’s Community Investment Programme

Ms Davis said: “When I came to London people were more friendly. People were in and out of people’s homes. They all got on together. The children were out playing.”

She is well looked after by her family including her daughter-in-law Lynne, who said: “In December she was taken to hospital with a chest infection and pneumonia. We don’t know if it was to do with this but when they looked around the paramedics were noticing and talking about all the mould.

“We have been constantly on the phone. It just rings and rings and no one answers.”

Mould in the great-grandmother’s home

A council spokesperson said: “We are very sorry this matter has taken some time to sort out. We have now found Mrs Davis a flat within her community for her to move into permanently and we are helping her move this week. “We want all our tenants to live in warm, safe and well-maintained homes and we are committed to tackling damp and mould. “We urge any tenant who has these issues to contact us as soon as possible.”

“The cause of the damp and mould issues have been identified as a leak from an appliance in the flat above, which has now been repaired, and is not due to any defects in the building. Over a year ago the council established a new damp and mould team, who take emergency action to fix these problems”

Mould can be reported to the council on 020 7974 4444.