Thursday 24 August 2017

Wednesday 23 August 2017

Balcony Life: Noise, Smoke & Droppings

From the BEO:
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Noise

During the warmer weather, residents are more likely to have their sliding doors/windows open. Due to the nature of communal living & close proximity of flats, if you have your windows open (particularly later in the evening), neighbours may be able to hear your radio, television or even phone conversations.

Consequently, please be mindful of noise which may be disturbing to neighbours, especially if you have guests visiting. Please also be considerate if you are smoking on the balcony late at night.

Items falling from Balcony

Recently we have had reports of items being dropped from balconies. Items ranging from cigarette butts to drinks cans. This is completely unacceptable and could cause significant distress or injury.

We would prefer not to have write to residents to remind them about something as reckless as this.

Fire Safety: Balconies and Stores

From the BEO:
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Balcony inspections
We have now completed all of the inspections on the balconies. There is still a small amount of work to be completed regarding clearing items from balconies. Please ensure that you continue to keep your balcony free of obstructions.

Bag stores
We take this opportunity to remind residents not to store any flammable items in bag stores as per the licence agreement.

Please see points 11 & 12 from the Tenant's Store Licence Conditions & Regulations:

11) The Licensee shall not do anything in the Store which may have the effect of vitiating the Insurance Policy or Policies under which the premises, of which the Store forms part, is insured or of increasing the premium on such insurance policy or policies.

12) No petrol, paint or other explosive or inflammatory oils or substances shall be kept or taken into the Store.

Thank you for your cooperation

Monday 14 August 2017

Bernard Morgan House Weekly Construction Update

The communications firm for Taylor Wimpey plan to send out their communication letters every Thursday.  Below is the one for last Thursday.

At the residents meeting this evening we were told that not much had happened because the final parts of the planning permission were being worked out.  The two things which had happened were that one of external decorative tiles had been removed in an experiment to see if the tiles could be removed and preserved (results of the experiment to be announced at a future meeting), and sample holes cut in the concrete slab in the basement to test the soil under the building.

Click to read the whole weirdly formatted letter

Tuesday 8 August 2017

BEO & Smart Meters

The BEO are trying to coordinate the work on smart electricity meter installations in the estate, but the suppliers such as EDF are not making it easy.  Below is an email message from our house officer on the topic.

My sense is that the best thing for us residents to do at the moment is just say no to smart meters and let the BEO sort it out.

From the BEO:
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The energy companies blitz the estate from time to time with these letters.

What we have told them with regard to the asbestos is that our Property Services Team would like to work with them to put together a coordinated plan so as not to remove asbestos and install new meters on a piecemeal basis. As far as I am aware we are still waiting to hear from the management at the electricity companies as the meters actually belong to them not the Barbican Estate Office.

This goes around in circles and is quite frustrating for this office as a new round of letters from EDF have now been sent when they know what we are expecting from them. I would just tell them that Steve Murray at Property Services , Barbican Estate Office is waiting to hear from them.

Saturday 5 August 2017

Your Bedroom may be a Fire Escape!

The BEO have sent a letter about fire safety which explains that the northern bedroom doors (exiting to the balconies) of M2A flats are fire escape routes.  The little squares of glass on these doors are intended to be broken if people need to escape from a fire.

The key part of the message is that areas in bedrooms next to the fire exit routes must be kept clear.
Fire emergency door ringed in red

Friday 4 August 2017

Home Fire Safety Checks - How to book one

From the BEO:
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Booking a Home Fire Safety Check via the London Fire Brigade

If you haven't already done so please don't forget to book in the free Home Fire Safety Check with the London Fire Brigade. The will be able to fit fire alarms in your property and offer personalised advice. 

Please click the link below and register for a visit.

Car Park Fire Safety Checks

From the BEO with no dates given:
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Following on from the balcony inspections, we will shortly be looking to cleanse the car parks of items which have been left in bays or appear to be dumped in the car park. 

As your car parking licence states you should not be using bays to store items. We would advise to please remove anything that is not the licenced vehicle as per your agreement.

Thursday 3 August 2017

Smart Electricity Meters

My energy supplier at the moment is EDF.  They have been pestering me with messages about replacing the electricity meter for our flat with a "smart meter".  As it happens, Which? have an article on the subject in their most recent edition.

Armed with the information from Which? I called EDF and here is what they said:
  • The meters EDF are proposing are SMETS2 ready. Not SMETS2, just SMETS2 ready.  SMETS means 'smart metering equipment technical specifications', the 1 and 2 are the 'generation' of the meter.  The older SMETS1 meters may not remain smart if you switch to a different supplier, which would mean manual readings would be required again.  Also, suppliers may need to replace SMETS1 meters anyway if and when meter standards are nailed down.
  • The EDF meters are 70cm high, 13cm wide and 6.5cm deep.  If new meters are bigger than the existing meters there may not be enough room in block meter cupboards, and who knows what happens then.
  • EDF say that their meters do support IHD (in home displays) which show all kinds of exciting live information about your electricity consumption.  But, some have suggested that the Barbican meter cupboards are too far from the flats for the IHD signals to work.
Which? explain that we don't have to accept smart meters.  I'm not going to accept one until the supplier is able to provide one which is SMETS2 (or better).  Also I'm going to suggest to the BEO that they coordinate the rollout of the meters and that they ensure they do all fit in the meter cupboards!

Here is a part of the letter from EDF.  Note the wording "we need to replace your meter"; this is true, the suppliers are under pressure to roll out smart meters.  We customers do not need to accept them.

Click to enlarge a bit


Wednesday 2 August 2017

BMH: Developer Newsletter Jul 28

Here is the first newsletter for the BMH redevelopment project.  Sorry about the format.  I've asked the project communications people to use PDF in future ... and indeed Freddie of Cascade did send a PDF version which you can see here.
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Weekly Construction Update - Bernard Morgan House

Welcome to the first Bernard Morgan House Weekly Construction Update. We will be sending these emails weekly throughout the demoltion and construction process.

Greater London Demolition (GLD) are now onsite conducting preparatory works, you will find an update of works due to take place during the next week below.

Residents can register to receive these emails by emailing: construction@cascadepr.co.uk.

Saturday 29th July
No works (GLD staff will be onsite carrying out admin in the site office).

Sunday 30th July
No works.

Monday 31st July to Friday 4th August
Preparatory works in the basement including preparation of pile holes.

Noise, dust and vibration monitoring takes place throughout the week to ensure that any disturbance for neighbours is reduced as much as possible.
Working Hours
The anticipated working hours are:

Monday to Friday 08.00 to 18.00
Saturday 09.00 to 14.00
No Sunday work

Anticipated Quiet times are
Monday to Friday 10.00-12.00
Monday to Friday 14.00-16.00

We will notify you of any changes to these working hours. Please note contractors may be onsite outside of these hours.

Contact Details

For urgent issues please contact Gary Telford, Site Manager: 07976 150854

For all other matters please contact Cascade Communications:
E: construction@cascadepr.co.uk
Freephone: 08081 686 677

Please do not hesitate to contact us.

A Construction Liaison Meeting was held on 17 July and attended by 23 members of the local community. A number of actions have taken place in response to issues raised at this meeting, including:
The onsite generator has been moved following concerns about noise.
Printing of a new sign clarifying that construction vehicles should not turn right onto Brackley Street.
Additional noticeboards are being arranged for the site hoardings. 

Tuesday 1 August 2017

BMH - Residents Meeting

Cascade Communications are the new communications company for Taylor Wimpey and their Bernard Morgan House project. Cascade have set up a residents meeting for Monday 14th August 2017 at 6:30pm, at the Golden Lane Community Association Community Centre, Golden Lane Estate, EC17 0RN.

Below is the text of the Cascade letter.  Cascade sent out a paper version too.
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Bernard Morgan House
Invitation to Neighbourhood Construction Meeting

Dear Neighbour

We would like to invite you to attend the next Bernard Morgan House Neighbourhood Construction Liaison Group meeting. The meeting will be an opportunity to meet with the development team from Taylor Wimpey Central London and Greater London Demolition (GLD), get an update on the latest works taking place on site and ask any questions you may have on the demolition and construction process.

The meeting is taking place on Monday 14th August 2017 at 6:30pm, at the Golden Lane Community Association Community Centre, Golden Lane Estate, EC17 0RN.

If you would like to attend please RSVP by email to construction@cascadper.co.uk or call our Freephone number 08081 686 677.

A copy of the agenda, as well as the minutes of the last meeting, will be circulated ahead of the next meeting.

We look forward to seeing you on Monday 14th August.