Misery of London tenants as tower block wrapped in scaffolding for over six years

Natasha Dyett said she and fellow tenants were now “ready to fight” the landlord to force action. LDRS Matt Watts , News Editor 2 minutes ago COMMENTS North Londoners whose high-rise has been covered in scaffolding for over six years have accused their landlord of keeping them in the dark about when it will come down as they face break-ins and fears for their safety.

Occupants from the Archway Heights tower block in Islington have urged their housing association to act over the temporary structure due to severe loss of light and now trespassing.

The building was wrapped in scaffolding at least six years ago – though estimates vary – due to remedial cladding works, following the Grenfell tragedy in 2017.

Dwayne Lewis, 50, said that despite the scaffolding pre-dating his move to the building in 2023, aside from some new mesh netting for the frame, “no work has been done for years”.

Residents have also repeatedly complained about disrepair, including leaks from vandalised skylights, long-term heating outages and security issues leading to break-ins. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) was given two separate reports of people defecating in the building’s stairwell and outside its communal bike area.

The landlord, Places for People, says it cannot start work until it has been given consent by the Building Safety Regulator, and that this has seen delays due to factors it cannot control.

Speaking to the LDRS, resident Natasha Dyett said she and fellow tenants were now “ready to fight” the landlord to force action.

The scaffolding has been around the block for over six years LDRS ‘He watched me in bed’ The occupants report that the scaffolding, along with other security faults in the building, have led to it becoming a hotspot for anti-social behaviour, as intruders have gained access to the communal bike room.

One night in July, Ms Dyett said she woke up to see a man standing outside her window. “He was watching me while I was lying in my bed. I have never been so scared in my entire life,” she said. The motion-sensor light and alarms, she added, had not been triggered during the intrusion.

“The scaffolding has become a platform for people to get into the building,” said Mr Lewis, who lives on the sixth floor.

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Mr Lewis told the LDRS he believes the building is being “managed into decline”, even as tenants like himself see their rents continue to rise each year.

“Post-Grenfell, surely the priority must be to change the cladding as fast as possible to a suitable standard? It’s just dragging on,” he said. The cost of keeping scaffolding erected has not been established by the landlord. The resident claimed that staff had floated the figure of £500,000 per year.

Archway Heights’ previous landlord, Origin Housing Ltd, was subsumed by Places for People following a two-year merger process, with the latter taking over the building in April 2026. Origin was downgraded by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) in 2023, when the watchdog designated it as non-compliant.