Residents affected by 2019 Richmond House fire reach settlement with housing association and construction company

Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) and St James, a subsidiary of the Berkeley Group, have reached a settlement with the residents of a block of flats destroyed by a fire in 2019.

Richmond House was a timber-framed building of 23 shared-ownership homes and burnt down in September 2019.

All 60 victims were left homeless, mainly key workers including teachers and NHS staff. Many were seriously injured escaping.

Law firm Bindmans, which represented the residents, said forensic reports from independent experts and the London Fire Brigate identified that the building had hidden cavity defects which caused the rapid fire spread.

Bindmans said that a ‘stay put’ strategy had been given for the building and added that "were it not for the quick thinking of residents in raising the alarm and helping each other to escape, many could have died.”

Agnese De Masi, a victim of the fire, said “The housebuilding market is broken.

"There are no adequate protections for defective low-rise buildings, like ours, that are four-storeys and under.

"We have been lucky in being able to make a claim but the costs to victims of making a claim are in most cases prohibitive.”

Five years on from the fire, and almost a year since the residents launched their legal challenge, the parties have now come to a settlement, resolving all disputes and disagreements between the residents, St James/Berkeley, and MTVH.

The terms of the settlement remain confidential.

The residents’ solicitor, Christian Hansen of Bindmans, claimed that any endeavours to “fix the broken system have not gone far enough.”

A damages claim could be made in this case because St James is still a going concern.

Hansen said many defective and dangerous buildings have been built by short-lived companies which disappear afterwards, "leaving profits to a parent company, and leaving residents with no one left to hold accountable".

He criticised the Building Safety Act 2022, claiming that the legislation falls short in that it allows only limited claims against associated companies leaving victims unable to claim for many losses.

MTVH has been approached for comment. However, a spokesperson told Housing Today: “At each stage of the process MTVH has acted in good faith, working constructively within the mediation timetable set out by the residents’ lawyers, Bindmans, as they sought a resolution with both MTVH and St James.

“We hope that coming to this settlement will help to bring some closure to residents.”

Berkeley refused to comment on the settlement any further than what it has said in 2022, when it responded that the “cause of the fire was never identified but the building ‘performed’ as it was supposed to, allowing everyone to get out safely.

“Compensation has been paid to residents and those that wished to do so have been able to sell their flats back to the owner, MTVH.”

Harry Rodd