Flats in the controversial Mast Quay scheme are still being listed for rent online, more than two weeks after the local council ordered them to be demolished, Homes & Property can reveal.
A number of estate agents had live adverts on Monday afternoon for apartments within the Woolwich complex, which contains hundreds of homes that were targeted by the Royal Borough of Greenwich this month.
The council issued an enforcement notice to developer Comer Homes demanding demolition of the 204-home Mast Quay phase II. This followed an investigation that uncovered “at least 26” deviations from the scheme’s 2012 planning permission.
Comer has a year to comply with the edict, and the start of this period can be delayed until any appeal is heard.
The Mast Quay development saw two towers delivered in a first wave in 2007. These are not subject to the demolition order.
Phase two was completed several years later and it is this that the enforcement notice applies to. There are plans for a third phase, with building work yet to start on site.
There are multiple live listings for homes to let across Mast Quay. None of these specify which phase of the scheme they are in and do not show photos of the exterior of the building, which would enable verification.
However, estate agent Hamptons confirmed that at least one of their listings — a £1,800-per-month one-bed flat available “now” for “long term” let — is in phase II of the development.
Available furnished or unfurnished and with a concierge and maintenance team, communal garden and gym on site, the listing describes “contemporary homes” providing “spacious open-plan living with modern interior and wooden flooring throughout”. A deposit of £2,077 is required.
Multiple other listings from Hamptons Build to Rent are listed on Rightmove with a badge describing them as in the same development and ranging in price from £1,320pcm to £2,160pcm.
Other lettings agents also have flats listed for rent in Mast Quay, although again, these listings do not state which phase of the development they are in and the agents did not respond to requests for clarification.
A number of residents in phase II of Mast Quay told the Guardian that they were shocked and concerned by the demolition threat.
Comer Homes Group, which built phase II, said it was “extremely disappointed” by the enforcement notice issued this week and declared its intention to appeal.
It added in a statement: “We will continue to do all we can to assist [residents] to remain secure in their homes while we respond to the council’s actions.”
The developer also released a FAQ document, in which it states: “Given Comer’s imminent Appeal against the Enforcement Notice and its belief that it will be successful in overturning the decision, tenants have no immediate need to move out as the Appeal process will be lengthy and require extensive engagement, with no decision expected until some time in 2024.”
Royal Borough of Greenwich leader Anthony Okereke said the decision to demand the demolition of the blocks in phase II had not been taken lightly.
“I believe it is reasonable and proportionate to the scale and seriousness of the situation,” he added.
“Mast Quay Phase II represents two prominent high-rise buildings on Woolwich’s riverside that just are not good enough, and the reason that they are not good enough is because the development that was given planning permission is not the one that we can all see before us today.”
