Housing provider agrees £72m cladding replacement project

Notting Hill Genesis will undertake a £72m upgrade and investment programme at the Paragon estate in Brentford, after agreeing a deal with contractors Equans.

Alongside the necessary planning consents from the London Borough of Hounslow, the contract means that we can start work to bring homes back into use between 2025 and 2026 and restore a local community on the estate.

Those who lived previously at Paragon have all been successfully supported to find new homes and move on with their lives following the difficult decision to ask them all to leave the estate in October 2020 due to Notting Hill Genesis’ concern that the buildings did not meet adequate levels of safety.

Rehousing everyone meant that we could complete thorough investigations to determine the remedial and reinvestment works needed to bring Paragon back into occupation, ensure a safe place to live and allow residents to benefit from improved modern homes and quality of life.

In addition to carrying out remedial works, we will be installing much thicker insulation and a new façade to dramatically improve the comfort and efficiency of the homes. Of the £72m investment, £36m will be spent on works to bring building services and finishes up to a modern standard, including the installation of sprinkler systems, upgraded mechanical, engineering and public health systems, and completely refitted homes.

John Hughes, group director of development and sales and deputy chief executive, said: “The safety of our residents is always our first priority and as such, we felt moving residents from Paragon was the best course of action and has enabled us to assess the full scope of the proposed works. We know how much of an upheaval this was for everyone, so we established dedicated teams to work with every household to find a permanent solution.

The subsequent thorough investigations give us a great deal of confidence that we have a robust plan and we are looking forward to working with Equans and our expert team of surveyors to deliver our remediation and reinvestment plan. We look forward to people once again calling the Paragon estate home and to it being a thriving west London neighbourhood once more.

Dan Germann, regional managing director for Equans, added: “Following months of significant intrusive investigations and comprehensive planning and testing, we are delighted to have been appointed to undertake the remedial and reinvestment works at the Paragon Estate development.

“Equans is very much looking forward to continuing the proactive and collaborative working relationships which have developed over the past number of months with Notting Hill Genesis and their appointed professional team. We are committed to ensuring that this significant project provides both safe and modern accommodation for all residents at Paragon Estate.”