EXCLUSIVE: An email from the building's management company in May 2021 states there was a risk of collapse

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A shop owner who was in his store when rubble and debris started to fall as the building above it partially collapsed has questioned why work to make it safe was not completed sooner, after an email showed it was known to be unsafe nearly two years ago.

James Ford, 47, works at A & B Glassworks on Stoke Newington High Street. Last Friday (January 27) at around 9:30am, parts of the building started to collapse from above the shop. Masonry from the roof and scaffolding fell onto the pavement and orange dust engulfed the area as shoppers scrambled away. James was about to leave the shop on a job but thankfully turned back just at the right time.

He told MyLondon about the emotion he experienced and how he doesn't think he will ever feel safe in that space again. He said: "I can safely say I've seen a lot of scary stuff in my life but without a doubt that was one of the scariest times of my life. Looking back, I realise how close I was to witnessing something so tragic.

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"If this was around 1pm and all the old ladies who usually come to get their fruit and veg from the greengrocer, you could have ended up with so many deaths. My anxiety levels have gone up quite a bit. I remember I was about to leave the shop as I had an appointment at 10am. I put the glass near the front of the shop and I was about to load up the van when all I heard was shouting from the builders then loads of dust and then huge lumps of rubble - I thought it was a bomb. It completely destroyed the greengrocers."

James noted when he initially saw the scaffolding erected in May 2021 he knew something must be wrong with the building but he wasn't told what exactly needed repairing. An email sent by Eddisons, a chartered surveyors responsible for the management of the building, shows the firm knew there was a risk of collapse in May 2021.

The email to a scaffolding company, seen by MyLondon, states: "Following our conversation can you please provide a quotation to erect scaffolding the front elevation at the above property. As discussed the parapet and cornice at roof level is in a dangerous condition and we need to erect scaffolding as soon as possible for health and safety reasons to provide a level of protection in case of collapse."

The email requests a quote for "8 weeks of scaffolding along with a weekly hire charge thereafter for scaffold, inspection and alarm etc". James claims there was no visible work being done on the building until January this year despite the scaffolding being up for nearly two years.

MyLondon has confirmed that the building is owned by Marylebone Property Company and managed by Eddisons. James and a local resident have both told MyLondon that they have had "barely" any communication from Eddisons in regard to how they will be helped. Because the building is privately owned, it is the responsibility of the owner and management company to deal with the aftermath. However the council has stepped in to help make the building safe in the interim.

James said: "They left the scaffolding up for nearly 20 months without any work being done [as far as I could see] meaning it was up for two winters."

He added: "It's only a miracle that nobody died. We never knew if the whole scaffolding was going to collapse [when bits of the building started to fall] and we just ended up staying in the middle of the shop as we thought that was the safest part of the shop. It was really scary. We have barely heard much from anybody, especially Eddisons. We had a meeting with Hackney [Council] on Wednesday, February 1 but they only told us when they expect the work to be completed.

"Every shop on the road [feared because of the scaffolding being up so long] that this building was a danger and a risk, why wasn't something done with any immediacy? Why was no one saying that the work needed to be started and who is going to be held to account for this? We are really worried about the future and Hackney [Council] has put another scaffold up to support the original as a way to brace it but it sort of feels like a dangerous game of Jenga."

Another email outlines the cost of the scaffolding and repairs to individual homes and shops within the building. MyLondon understands there had been ongoing disputes over those payments.

Since the collapse, some tenants have been put up in hotels with no idea when they'll be back. For James, his shop is now closed and he believes he is going to be left £7,000 out of pocket due to missed jobs and having to duplicate orders.

James continued: "The problem with the top of the building has been an issue for years according to tenants and even my dad. It's horrible and wrong. From my point of view, I don't want to work in that building anymore, I don't feel safe at all. It doesn't feel like somewhere I'd want to be especially not at this moment."

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: "We fully understand the concerns raised by local residents and businesses about this privately owned building. This incident has had a huge impact on the Stoke Newington area and we have used our building control enforcement powers to bring in specialist contractors to make the building safe.

"While this work takes place we are working with the building owners to ensure local residents and businesses are supported and kept informed as best as possible. This includes making arrangements for temporary accommodation for the people living in other properties in the affected area who have had to leave their homes while the works take place to make the building safe. We are engaging with businesses and looking at all possible options for the support we can provide. We are also encouraging businesses to contact their insurers.

The spokesperson pointed out that building owners are no longer obliged to seek building control consent from the council and can use private sector inspectors following part-privatisation of the building control industry. They added: "In this case, work was being overseen by a private building control body. The building partially collapsed while works were taking place. Building owners are responsible for the safety of scaffolding they erect and ensuring this is compliant with relevant regulations."

They added that residents and businesses "have told us that they believe that the building's owner and its managing agent are not fulfilling their responsibilities to tenants and businesses, and are not providing clear information". The council says it is making "every effort" to engage with the landlord to raise these concerns and ensure that they "take urgent steps to provide the answers and support that tenants and businesses need".

MyLondon approached Marylebone Property Company and Eddisons for comment. Marylebone told us to contact Eddisons for comment before hanging up, and did not answer again when we phoned back to request a phone number. We emailed Eddisons with a request for comment but received no reply.

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