Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many households from (a) Barandon Walk, (b) Hurstway Walk, (c) Testerton Walk, (d) Treadgold House, (e) Bramley House and (f) other surrounding blocks in the Lancaster West Estate were evacuated from their homes following the Grenfell Tower fire of 14 June 2017; and how many of those households remain in emergency accommodation.

The Grenfell Tower fire had impacts for the whole of the Lancaster West Estate. During the fire, there were safety concerns for residents in the 364 occupied properties in Barandon, Hurstway & Testerton Walks (‘The Walkways’) which lead up to Grenfell Tower. These properties were evacuated on the night of the fire on the advice of the London Fire Service. The evacuation extended as a result of a temporary loss of water, heating and hot water and most Walkways residents were able to return to their homes on 16 June 2017.

As of 4 December 2017, data provided by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea showed 109 households from the Walkways and an additional 14 households from the wider Lancaster West Estate are in emergency accommodation.

We appreciate that many households from the Lancaster West Estate are finding it difficult to return to their homes. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is offering support to residents to return to their homes where possible. We are supporting their plans to make the Lancaster West Estate a model for social housing by allocating additional funds as detailed in the Autumn Budget 2017.