East End Homes separates from construction partner in the wake of disastrous roof extension works

East End Homes announced to residents in a chaotically organised meeting that they have separated from Gracewood Group and have brought building works in-house.

Tower Hamlets Slice can reveal that East End Homes announced to Eric Estate residents on 17 April that they have separated from Gracewood Group construction company and will take over the building works through their in-house development company. 

East End Homes owns several properties on the Eric Estate in Mile End, including Coniston House, which has had years-long issues with flooding and mould. The issues originated from damage to the roof and the water mains due to works to add two stories for extra flats. 

In an information leaflet handed out to residents at the meeting, East End Homes stated, ‘We are very sorry that they’ve had to deal with unacceptable delays and upheaval, and thank you for your patience and co-operation.

‘The work was previously the responsibility of Gracewood Construction who stepped their staff down from site. This is one of the reasons East end Homes is taking control.’

It went on to state: ‘We have the required in-house capability and skill set to proceed. We will resolve all the issues although we do recognise that it will be challenging to do so as quickly as we would like. We are aware of all the issues that need to be tackled as part of the new build works and will also be putting a programme together to ensure that any other works needed are planned and coordinated.’

Martin Donkin, the Chair of Coniston House Tenants and Residents Association (CHTRA), said in a thread on Blue Sky that residents received the time and date of the meeting eight hours before via SMS text message. According to Donkin, a letter had been sent out before the text, alerting residents of a meeting, but it did not include the date or time. 

About the meeting, Donkin told the Slice: ‘There were a lot of residents making quite long or angry comments on the theme of “you’ve messed us around for four years and made our housing terrible and caused people to be in temporary accommodation”.

‘What we didn’t get at the meeting was much of an idea about how much longer this is all going to go on for.’

Donkin went on, ‘Something that really brought it home was when one of my neighbours […] said to me, look, you see all of the workmen on this site and they’ve got their hard hats on and then occasionally stuff falls off the roof. But where’s my hard hat?’ 

In March, Coniston House residents were seen living with paddling pools of flood water and without electricity in an ITV News report. According to Coniston House Tenants and Residents Association (CHTRA), some have been left homeless. 

East End Homes were reportedly in a legal dispute with Gracewood Group in March due to the issues. Neither East End Homes nor Gracewood Group have released a public statement.

As well as Coniston House, the other properties owned by East End Homes on the Eric Estate are Windermere House, Buttermere House, Derwent House, and Loweswater House. 

East End Homes received planning permission for two-storey roof extensions on all buildings by Tower Hamlets Council in 2019. 

The Slice was also informed by CHTRA that East End Homes also announced further building works: the replacement of the water mains in Coniston House, Windermere House and Buttermere House; the replacement of some water pipes, and the replacement of Coniston House’s roof. The works at Windermere and Buttersmere are set to finish after 12 months, and Coniston after 18 months.

The Slice reached out to East End Homes and Gracewood Construction, but has not heard a response at the time of publishing.

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