Officers at Campden House in the aftermath of the incident last month

POLICE remain active in the investigation into the tragic death of a man who fell from a council estate balcony.

Officers are piecing together the sequence of events which led to tragedy at Campden House on the Harben Road estate in Swiss Cottage last month. Investigators must also decide if there was any suspected negligence in relation to the reported collapse of a glass section of the second-floor balcony.

Paramedics rushed to the scene but could not save the 58-year-old man from dying from his injuries.

Last night (Monday), Camden’s deputy leader updated councillors on the progress of the investigation at an all-member meeting.

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected,” Labour councillor Pat Callaghan said.

“We remain in regular contact with the family and continue to offer them all our support. A police investigation is ongoing, and I wanted to reassure councillors and residents that the council is cooperating fully with all lines of inquiry.

“From the outset, our priorities have been the safety and well-being of residents. We took immediate steps to keep residents safe by installing scaffolding, which has restricted access to the affected balconies and provided a safe barrier while further investigations take place.”

She added: “Our teams have been on site regularly, often daily, speaking with residents face to face and making sure support is in place. We’ve arranged practical help such as providing fans for affected homes, free access to swimming, soft play, and family sessions at the Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre.”

Camden has taken further steps, she said, to investigate if any other balconies could potentially pose a danger.

Cllr Callaghan told the meeting: “We have appointed engineers to assess the balconies of 42 homes with this particular issue and begin designing any remedial works that may be needed. While the balconies at Campden House and Noel House have a unique design, we are nonetheless carrying out additional balcony checks across all of Camden’s housing stock as part of a targeted internal survey.”

The missing glass panel on the balcony

Neighbours described the man who died as a friendly face who had come to London from eastern Europe and would always say “good morning”.

Nik Masters has lived on the estate in a flat directly above the man’s home for more than three decades said at the time:  “It was Father’s Day and my daughter had come to visit me. I was sitting on my sofa, it was hot, the doors and windows on the balcony were open. I heard a really loud noise, a thud. I ran to my balcony – I thought something must have fallen off the roof. I looked down and I saw a big pane of glass on the grass below that had fallen down. Next to it I saw a man – it was absolutely terrible.

“I grabbed my phone and dialled 999. I said we needed an ambulance immediately.”

The tragedy happened next to a busy children’s playground and games court. An off-duty police officer who lives on the estate rushed out to help and administered CPR, but the man could not be saved.

Cllr Callaghan said: “We will, of course, continue to keep everyone updated with any information we’re able to share as this work continues.”