Update reply from Clarion's Regional Housing Lead – South London dated Monday 7th September

Reply from Clarion's Regional Housing Lead – South London dated Monday 7th September

Dear Alex Forbes,

Thank you for your letter of 28 August to Clare Miller, Chief Executive Officer, regarding the rehousing of residents affected by the fire on 25 July. Your correspondence has been passed to me for response, and I appreciate you taking the time to raise your concerns.

The fire has had a significant impact on those affected, and our priority since the incident has been to ensure residents are safe, supported, and provided with suitable accommodation as quickly as possible.

In total, 14 households were affected by the fire, comprising seven freeholder households and seven tenant households. The freeholder residents have been accommodated through arrangements made by their insurers. For our tenant households, we have allocated three-bedroom homes. We recognise that many residents have lost substantial personal belongings and experienced considerable distress as a result of the fire. In light of these exceptional circumstances, the decision was made to provide furnished accommodation, where requested, to help reduce the immediate pressures on families as they begin to rebuild their lives.

Whilst you have suggested using vacant properties at High Path, these homes have been identified for demolition as part of the regeneration programme. We do not believe it would be appropriate to move residents who have already experienced such a traumatic event into properties that are due for demolition or which may not provide the stability and quality of accommodation they require at this time.

To support families affected by the fire, the houses allocated to households are within the London Borough of Merton.  In making these allocations, our focus has been on providing residents with good-quality homes that meet their needs and enable them to remain in their local community, close to schools, support networks, and essential services. We did not consider it appropriate to move residents into properties with known defects or earmarked for future redevelopment.

I am not certain which individual you are referring to in your email who you state has been supporting residents and has not received support from Clarion. However, I can confirm that Clarion and Merton Connected have been working closely together to support residents affected by the fire. We have also been liaising with a local resident who has been providing support to affected households, and we are grateful for their assistance during what has been a very difficult time for residents.

We have shared details of the support and assistance being provided with this individual and have maintained ongoing communication to ensure they are aware of the measures being put in place. Throughout this process, Clarion and Merton Connected have worked together to ensure residents receive the support they need after this traumatic incident.

I am pleased to advise that residents have already started moving into their longer-term temporary accommodation. We continue to work closely with each household. We are working towards all affected residents being accommodated in their new homes by the end of September, approximately eight weeks after the fire.

We fully appreciate the disruption, distress, and uncertainty that residents have experienced following this incident. Our teams remain committed to supporting those affected and ensuring families have access to safe, suitable accommodation while we consider longer-term solutions.

I hope this provides reassurance regarding the arrangements in place to support those affected by the fire.

Yours sincerely,

Jacqueline Thomas

Regional Housing Lead – South London

Apollo House,66 London Road, Morden, SM4 5BE