Listing of Alton Estate Blocks Leaves Residents Freezing

Heritage protection means they are exclude from regeneration plan

The protected blocks on the Alton Estate. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

December 1, 2025

Residents of an Alton Estate council block say they are suffering with damp, mould and extreme cold years after being promised new windows.

People living in Denmead House in Roehampton are complaining that their single-glazed windows have continued to fall into disrepair as Wandsworth Council has not replaced them. When the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited Denmead House, many residents answered the door visibly freezing.

They said their windows were draughty and had rotting wooden frames, which left their flats cold and damp and forced them to waste money constantly having the heating on. The block is one of five similar buildings which can’t be rebuilt as part of the council’s planned regeneration of the 1950s estate, as they are Grade II* listed and the authority has a legal duty to protect them.

The council approved plans to replace windows and stairwell fire doors across the blocks in 2023, having set aside funding for the repairs years before, but these works still have not been carried out.

Residents told the LDRS they felt the council had neglected the blocks and said the disrepair had affected their health.

“The block is falling down,” said one tenant who moved into Denmead House five years ago. She claimed the building’s roof and her flat had been affected by leaks over time, while parts of the block were decaying. She told the LDRS there was damp and mould in her home, with moisture so excessive mushrooms were growing on a wall in her kitchen.

She raised concerns for the health of her nine-year-old son and two-year-old daughter living in the flat, as she expressed frustration over battling for repairs to be carried out. She said her son, who is autistic, had developed asthma since living there while a large crack had developed across his bedroom ceiling.

“He’s really scared that his ceiling will fall in on him and I have to try and explain to him that’s not going to happen,” she said. “But, really, you and I both know if that fell in, it’s going to hurt him wherever he is in the room.”

She described how the wooden frames around her windows were rotting away, while her back door also did not shut properly due to its rotting wooden frame.

The mother said,“The state of the property is horrible and it’s really sad because the properties are nice, I have the biggest front room of anyone I know, I have bedrooms each for my children. I’m happy with the property, [except] the condition that it’s in.”

The council told the LDRS its plans to replace the windows at Denmead House had been delayed as the block was classified as high risk under the Building Safety Act, which meant the scheme still needed to be approved by the Building Safety Regulator. The authority said it was committed to residents’ safety and carrying out repairs in a reasonable period of time.

A 27-year-old disabled tenant, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed the council had failed to protect her and her six-year-old disabled son from “dangerous and unsuitable” conditions in the block, despite their serious medical needs. She said damp, mould and freezing temperatures in their flat had made them sick, while they also had a leak.

The tenant, who has a lung disease, asthma and a blood disorder, said she felt pressured into accepting the flat in 2022 as she was told she could be made homeless if she refused the offer. She claimed she had repeatedly asked the council for help since moving in, but it had sent contractors to mould wash the walls instead of carrying out adequate permanent repairs.

She described how her son, who has complex lifelong medical needs due to a birth defect, had developed asthma since moving into the flat, which she believed was linked to their poor housing conditions.

She said, “The mould and damp are so bad that my son’s health has got worse. I have my own lung problems, and it’s made me sicker too. We’ve been promised new windows for two years, but nothing has ever happened.”

She added, “We’re constantly ill with respiratory infections. We only use one bedroom now because the other is too damp. I pay rent for a two-bedroom flat, but we live in one room and sometimes have to stay with relatives to escape the conditions.”

The mother said she had reapplied for housing on medical grounds, but faced a long wait, and described how getting help from the council felt impossible.

“It’s terrible and unfair,” she said. “He suffers just as much as I do, if not more. He’s constantly ill, and I’m exhausted from trying to fight for help.”

She added, “The condensation is so bad it drips onto the radiators at night and wakes you up. How these blocks are deemed liveable is beyond me.”

Dee Foli, 64, claimed the council told her when she moved into the block more than 30 years ago she would get double-glazed windows. She said the authority had neglected the building and residents were fed up.

Dee told the LDRS there was an ongoing leak in one of her bedrooms, while both bedrooms were affected by severe water damage. She has dehumidifiers running constantly due to the damp in the flat.

She said she had repeatedly raised the issues to the council, even going to its offices multiple times, but it had refused to carry out repairs because she is a leaseholder. She said the council should carry out the works as she believed the leaks were caused by pipes in the walls.

Dee said, “I’ve told them ‘it’s not my problem, it’s your pipe, I can’t call out a builder to fix anything that’s not mine’. I pay service charges, that’s part of the building insurance, they’re not interested. They said it’s my problem. How am I going to fix that”

Dee described feeling trapped in the flat as nobody would want to buy it due to the disrepair. She said, “I’m stuck. If I want to move out, I can’t sell with all these problems. Who’s going to buy that?”

She added, “I try not to upset myself over it because I’ve got to go to work and earn a living. You can report, report, report, they don’t do anything.”

Water damage at Dee Foli's flat, Denmead House, Alton Estate, Roehampton. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

Aseer Michael, 54, told the LDRS she was also “always freezing” in her flat, where she had lived for nearly 10 years. She said although the temperatures forced her to constantly have her heating on, which was expensive, the flat remained extremely cold.

“When winter comes, we have to suffer,” she said. “We have to prepare for this, we can’t do anything.”

Aseer expressed frustration over the council pledging to replace the block’s windows and not seeing this happen. “They promise soon we are going to do this, soon, soon, how many years soon? We’re just ignored. We have to live with this,” she said. “They promised a lot but we didn’t see anything… we’re just fed up.”

A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: “We take the safety and wellbeing of our residents incredibly seriously and we are committed to responding to maintenance issues within a reasonable time period.

“There are 75 flats in Denmead House and the vast majority have not reported any repairs issues in recent times. Residents are encouraged to contact the council as and when a matter arises to enable us to act swiftly.

“We are aware of issues with windows and are looking at options to have them replaced. However as Denmead House is a Grade II* listed building, the proposals have taken some time to go through the planning process. The current delays are due to the building being classified as high risk due to its height under the Building Safety Act, therefore proposals need to be approved by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

“Once we receive this approval, the work can begin. We endeavour to carry out permanent repairs where possible, however currently only temporary repairs can be carried out to the windows. Where defects in the windows are reported, a full assessment will be carried out and any temporary measure will be implemented.

“We are committed to remaining transparent and keeping residents informed throughout the process. We issued an update letter and invited residents to a public meeting on 23 September 2025 which was attended by 26 different properties as well as the three ward councillors.”

Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter