On the 18 March 2019, the residents association officers called a “Safety Summit” meeting with Barking Riverside Limited (BRL), London & Quadrant (L&Q), Pinnacle Places and Residential Management Group (RMG) at the BRL office in Fielders Crescent, Barking, due to many concerns about safety on the estate.
Present were: Michelle Ivemy, then Regional Manager of RMG; Matt Carpen, BRL; and Oliver Miller, Head of Housing, and Alex Elsy, regional manager, Pinnacle Places.
Pete Mason, the chair of the Barking Reach Residents Association, said to Michelle Ivemy that residents of Samuel Garside House had raised concerns that very little work had been done to mitigate the feared fire safety issues that had warranted a waking watch. The reply was minuted.
In the minutes of the meeting, it was noted that:
“Michelle reported that fire wardens would be withdrawn from the blocks where they had been installed because the remedial work required to meet fire safety standards had been completed.”
The minutes were circulated and all parties including Michelle Ivemy agreed the minutes for publication.
On 15 March 2019, just a few months before Samuel Garside House went up in flames, a resident wrote to me: “God forbid if the building catches fire – who is responsible?”