‘The council has let down residents on the Chalcots estate’ 

• CHALCOTS estate residents are at imminent risk of developing life-threatening illnesses in regards to the potentially harmful materials such as lead oxide, asbestos and other particles within the original 1960s window frames and within its walls.

Having formerly chaired the Chalcots Work Group since the start of the 2017 Chalcots evacuation, we knew health and safety tests were needed across all the tower blocks at Chalcots to check for hazardous materials within the original wall and frame units.

We asked Camden Council and the contractor, McLaren, to prove all was safe, but both parties mentioned general safety comments without any evidence to back it.

Both parties refuse to state which specialised accredited company performed the tests, how, when, in what flats, if residents were informed, or provide the safety documents.

Many residents were concerned and recently took to a protest. Once again, Camden Council and McLaren ignored the residents.

Cllr Meric Apak states (Angry tenants in demo outside estate, June 1) their number one priority is the health and safety of the 3,000 plus residents at the Chalcots and continues to babble on, misguided, while lives are being put at risk.

Why are both Camden Council and McLaren refusing to show proof of evidence and alarming the residents? Cllr Apak, if tests and risk assessment on those issues took place then show it to calm residents’ fears.

If there is no evidence, then yourself, your team, and McLaren, are misleading residents who must now be told to visit their doctors and report they have potentially been infected by hazardous materials which could cause brain damage, cancers and other life-threatening disease in the future, including short-term illnesses.

Camden Council and McLaren will you inform Chalcots residents to visit their doctors? No one can understand why you, your colleagues, and council officers, refuse to supply the evidence. Have Camden Council and McLaren not learned from the Grenfell tower fire disaster investigation?

Why are Camden Council and McLaren ignoring the concerns of resident association representatives and residents of the Chalcots?

You now potentially have 3,000 plus Chalcots residents who could develop life-altering illnesses. Stop these works immediately to save lives and investigate with independent, accredited, companies.

Camden Council and McLaren wake up and do the right thing!

HASAN SHAH
Chair Burnham Residents’ Association
Ex-Chair Chalcots Work Group