Storm Henk blew through London last night, but it has left residents in central Croydon in fear and a fury, after pieces of roofing and masonry came tumbling down off the derelict and long-neglected Drum and Monkey pub.
After the storm: the Drum and Monkey this morning, with debris from the building across the pavement
Passers-by claim that the debris that fell off the unsecured site is “a potentially fatal hazard for pedestrians”.
The Drum and Monkey, on Gloucester Road, was one of two abandoned Croydon pubs, within 200 yards of each other, that both caught fire within an hour of each other one morning at the end of August last year.
The whole of the first and second floors of the Drum and Monkey were destroyed by fire. The incident prompted an investigation into the cause by the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade.
The Drum and Monkey, while now boarded up, appears to have little else done to it to make the site safe since the blaze.
And last night’s gale-force winds did much to suggest that Croydon Council’s building safety experts have been less-than-active in conducting their legally required role of ensuring the old pub has been properly secured by the site’s owners.
One concerned resident raised the matter with the council again today, following their daily commute.
Burnt out: the long-derelict pub was destroyed by fire last summer
“This morning as I walked to the station to go to work I saw several smashed roof tiles on the pavement, dislodged by yesterday’s stormy weather, which would be fatal to pedestrians and the countless elderly residents and school children who live nearby and use the path,” they wrote in an email to Jason Perry, the borough’s Mayor.
“I previously raised the issue of debris falling onto the pavement from the roof, as it is all just hanging on by a thread.
“Please can you take action with the owner of this building immediately, to make the area safe for pedestrians walking past this eyesore which is now also a danger to life.”
The angry resident concluded: “Frankly, your lack of action is an indictment of the car-centric attitudes of the local authority in Croydon, which endlessly accommodates polluting, dangerous vehicles while disregarding those who walk or cycle.”
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I got hit by a slate from the roof yesterday, it hit me on the shoulder piercing my wax jacket put a hole in my shirt and a gash on the top of my shoulder, it could have been a lot worse or even fatal if it hit my head
The Council are not very good at saying no or taking enforcement action. I suspect they do not have enough staff to actually do any of that and some regulations changes also interfere with effective enforcement. So it could involve a lot of money being spent and none recouped.
28+ years ago this council actually did work and I recall one miscreant locally being advised that his failure to secure a roof was improper. He failed to turn up to an inspection and when called said he was outside london and could not get there. He as advised that failure to attend would lead to one cherry picker being on site in an hour and the roof removed and him being chased for costs of this. Oh and he would need to find other premises to house the three tenants. He was there in 20 minutes and work commenced the following week.
Same place 3 years ago – nada not a peep – one response from Building control advised residents to take legal action themselves for breaches of
Building codes and regulations.
Report the issue on the Government dangerous Structure site and you get a trail and some action in the end but it is slow and do not expect any reply.
The government website page to report a dangerous structure or building takes you to your local council, i.e. Croydon.
Their web page on this subject says this:
“We are responsible for dealing with structures which are an immediate danger to the public. Our role is to deal with the immediate danger if the owner is not available to do so or is unknown at the time of the incident. Costs incurred are subsequently charged to the owner. It is not our role to rebuild or rectify faults.”
It goes on to say “to report a dangerous building or structure call 020 8760 5637”.
Emailing part-time Perry is evidently a waste of time
As I said Arfur – We did report the structure to Croydon Council as did others and nothing took place. When it was chased the email we received was in broken english and nonsense.
However when it was reported via the Government portal yes it gets passed to Croydon but it is also logged and the report can be tracked. Surpisingly like the love our streets app where Veolia and the Council actually take action to deal with illegal parking and flytips along with the rubbish generated and tipped outside ”perfectly legal developments” that oops have no bins nor anywhere to store them.
The Council web page is also accurate as to what they do, which is to rectify the immediate danger at the time which is what happened the first time as I said and what did not happen the second time.
However after reporting via the Government site the owner was contacted (despite them being contacted by neighbours and ignoring them) and eventually did put on a new roof.
You are quite correct – Mr Perry in the few hours he has devoted to local politic’s has little time for minor matters like structures that kill or main constituents. Even less for homeless families unless it is to get their few belongings removed and sent to landfill. Poor guy can’t cop a break on anything he does’nt do. But definitely not worth the email energy.