Posted on 14 May 2024
The hard work has paid off, and the end is in sight, for the fire safety remediation work at our Packington Estate in Islington.
Located next to the Regent’s Canal on the eastern edge of Islington, our Packington Estate is home to more than 800 people. 
Inspections revealed that parts of the external wall on the estate had to be remediated to ensure everyone’s safety. Last year, we began work on 655 homes to fix defects that were found on the buildings.
Work on 303 homes is now complete and signed off by Islington Building Control. We’ve also been issued a satisfactory EWS1 – meaning that leaseholders can now sell or remortgage their homes if they choose too.
Work on the remaining 352 homes is on schedule to finish by Summer 2024.
The project is being carried out as part of our Building Safety Programme. Our contracting partner Rydon is carrying out the work, which includes installing fire barriers, renewing ventilation ducts and replacement of fire breaks behind the spandrel panels. We’re also replacing balcony decking on some balconies. Rydon is covering the cost of this multi-million-pound project, while we’re covering the cost of the balcony decking, so customers won’t have to pay for any of the work.
We also worked with Islington Council to resurface the basketball court on the estate as a thank you to Packington residents. Plus, we re-installed the outdoor lights at the ARC Community Centre and worked with Islington Council to restore a green space.
Neal Ackcral, Chief Operating Officer, explained engaging with customers early and meaningfully is crucial for a project of this size and scale. “This isn’t a small or easy job. We’re carrying out work to more than 600 flats, so we need to make sure customers understand what’s going to happen and when, and how it might affect them.
“We’re holding regular meetings with customers, updating the Packington page of our website and sending them emails and letters to keep them informed.
“Our priority is making sure our buildings, and the people living in them, are safe; remediating the external walls at Packington will do just that, for many years to come.”