A celebrated architect finds it upsetting to visit a block of flats she designed because she says a South London council’s botched building work has left the building looking like an “oil refinery.”
Kate Macintosh MBE said incompetent building work commissioned by Lambeth Council had done untold damage to Macintosh Court in Streatham, the Grade-II listed building she designed in the late 1960s and is named after her.
The 86-year-old said heating and hot water pipes fitted on the outside of the 44 flat apartment block in breach of the building’s listing resembled Spaghetti Junction – the confusing motorway intersection in Birmingham.
Macintosh added that the bungled modernisation of the 44 flat apartment block on Leigham Court Road had caused the building’s elderly residents six years of hell, with contractors drilling through walls and fitting towel rails upside down.
Speaking from her home in the south of England, Macintosh said: “Quite honestly I find it very emotionally disturbing to go there. I can’t help but feel terribly pained for the residents but also for seeing my good work so abused.
“When they came to do works after the listing they ran a further four pipes not only along the same route but rising up at the rear… so you’ve got this complete Spaghetti Junction of pipes careering up this wall… [like] an oil refinery.”
Speaking of the impact of works on residents, she added: “[They were] drilling holes into people’s kitchens. Sometimes without even warning.
“People are working in their kitchen and they see this damn great drill coming through the wall.
“These residents have been through absolute hell. No attempt at all was made to take into account their particular health issues so we had contractors drill through walls while health visitors were trying to dress leg ulcers.
“The health visitor had to leave sometimes because it wouldn’t be responsible to expose the wound with the dust around.”
Her remarks come a month after the council approved a £367,000 overspend to roof works on the flats between March 2022 and 2023.
The refurbishment went over budget after “unforeseen works” were identified when scaffolding was put up to. The final cost of the works is now estimated at over £1.3 million.
When new roofs were fitted previously in 2017 residents said they were blighted by leaks and flooding which resulted in asbestos ceilings in some flats having to be removed under controlled conditions.
Scott Ainslie, Green Party councillor for Streatham St Leonard’s, said Lambeth needed to answer why the “gross overspend” on roof works wasn’t flagged up earlier.
He has asked the Labour-led council to explain why surveys weren’t completed on the building that could have flagged up the unforeseen repairs at an earlier date.
Macintosh added: “You’d think they have money pouring out of their ears and yet we know this is not the case. They’re just throwing good money after bad because they are just utterly, utterly incompetent.”
A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: “The council, and our contractors, have worked hard to fix the problems affecting Macintosh Court, but its design, and the fact that it is a listed building have made the refurbishment particularly challenging.
“We have apologised to residents because it has taken us longer than we would have liked to make the necessary improvements to their homes.
“Nevertheless, Lambeth has already invested some £2.5 million in refurbishing the complex to bring it into line with the Lambeth Housing Standard (LHS). This work is the latest significant investment in a wider project to improve Macintosh Court for all its residents.
“The original 2021- 2022 budget for the external refurbishment works at Macintosh Court was £993,629. However, extensive surveys of the development revealed additional work was needed, including increased repairs to brickwork and individual private balconies, and the renewal of the parapet capping to main roofs, and roof safety guardrails.
“Residents have been consulted and kept informed throughout this project, including on the required extra work, with monthly newsletters and regular progress meetings.
“We know that the increased costs will cause some frustration, but we have been clear that this additional work is essential to ensure the refurbishment project is completed to a high standard and is fit for purpose.”
