Residents of a high-rise housing block in London's Croydon have been told they must pay to replace the building's cladding, which was found to be flammable in a review following the Grenfell Tower fire.
Cladding on the Citiscape complex in the south London town failed final system combustibility testing by the Building Research Establishment in August 2017, prompting the ministry of housing, communities and local government to advise its removal.
The test was one of hundreds carried out on tall buildings across the UK after 71 people died in the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, which spread rapidly thanks to the aluminium, combustable-core panels affixed to its concrete frame.
However Citiscape's private owners have refused to cover the £2 million needed to replace the unsafe cladding, claiming that the leases for all apartments state that leaseholders are responsible for shared building costs. Residents told they must each pay £31,100
Citiscape's freehold is owned by Proxima GR Properties, a company held in the family trust of multimillionaire Vincent Tchenguiz.
The British-Iranian entrepreneur is estimated to have a combined net worth of £850 million with his brother and business partner Robert. Along with the reported 300,000 freeholds he owns, including 15,000 in London, the property magnate is well known for his love of supercars and yachts.
In one interview he claimed to have "forgotten" that he bought a Lamborghini, having shut it away in a garage...