Major Works & Heating Upgrades

Major works planned on communal heating system

The Brandon communal heating system was installed circa 1986, and some elements of it are now 35 years old. Internally within the flats there have been failures of radiators & hot water cylinders, which are currently being dealt with on a ‘break/fix’ basis by OCO, the council’s heating contractor.

In January 2021, Southwark announced a £2.2m major works contract to upgrade elements of our communal heating system, specifically the riser pipes running up the outside of the six tower blocks. However a number of residents challenged the feasibility study, commissioned by Potter Rapier, and carried out by MEPS Consulting, as it was conducted without any intrusive analysis of the existing pipework. More detailed analysis of this survey can be found here.

Brandon TRA challenged the findings of the feasibility study, and we engaged with a team from the council, led by Sylvester Hilton to further investigate the need to replace the riser pipes. When  invasive cut-outs of the pipework were taken from Cornish House, the pipework was found to be in excellent condition internally, and only damaged on the exterior where OCO operatives had failed to maintain the ducting & keep it weather-proof.

Brandon TRA also questioned the ongoing issues (multiple outages & unwanted noise) that were introduced following a 2019 heating riser pump upgrade, carried out by BSW. As a result of all the above problems, LB Southwark now hold monthly meetings wit representatives from Brandon TRA, and the minutes of these meetings can be found on this page.

Meeting Minutes