Residents of the Archway Heights tower block in Islington have reported break-ins and safety fears after living under scaffolding for more than six years. The structure, erected for remedial cladding works following the Grenfell tragedy in 2017, has led to severe loss of light and now trespassing, according to occupants. The landlord, Places for People, says work cannot start until the Building Safety Regulator gives consent, which has faced delays.
Security incidents and anti-social behaviour
Natasha Dyett, a resident, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that in July she woke to find 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 had not been triggered during the intrusion. The scaffolding, along with other security faults, has made the building a hotspot for anti-social behaviour, with intruders gaining access to the communal bike room.
Dwayne Lewis, 50, who lives on the sixth floor, said the scaffolding has become “a platform for people to get into the building.” He added that despite the scaffolding pre-dating his move in 2023, aside from some new mesh netting, “no work has been done for years.” Residents have also complained about disrepair, including leaks from vandalised skylights, long-term heating outages, and two separate reports of people defecating in the stairwell and outside the communal bike area.
Landlord responses and delays
Places for People, which took over the building in April 2026 after subsuming Origin Housing Ltd, said the building’s challenges are “complex, multi-faceted and will take time to resolve.” A spokesperson said, “Many of these issues are out of our control, but there are other things we could have done differently. The scaffolding is a necessary safety measure to protect residents and the public during essential building safety updates. This work cannot begin until we receive approval from the Building Safety Regulator, which has taken far longer than we anticipated. These delays are nationwide and affecting high-rise buildings across the country.”
The landlord added that it inspects any heating outages, has installed new entrance and lobby doors, upgraded access controls, worked with local partners to address anti-social behaviour, and introduced temporary overnight security. It expects a Building Safety Regulator decision in November, with remediation works estimated to take 12 months. The social enterprise has given goodwill payments to tenants twice a year, with each property receiving £317.50 in October 2026.
Residents organise and campaign
Ms Dyett claimed the landlord has not kept promises, saying, “Places for People made loads of promises to us, including to be better at communicating, and to give a monthly block update. They’ve not kept that promise.” Residents are now campaigning as part of the ACORN renters' union, knocking on doors to sign up neighbours to “go up against” the landlord. ACORN has organised meetings and protested outside the landlord’s HQ, giving a deadline of Thursday, October 15 to respond to demands for repairs and safety investigations. The LDRS understands the housing association has since replied.
An ACORN spokesperson said, “Our members at Archway Heights have been left in unsafe conditions, have not been receiving services that they are paying for and have been left in the dark, quite literally, on what is actually going to be done to allow them to live dignified lives.” Mr Lewis believes the building is being “managed into decline” even as rents rise, and questioned the priority of cladding replacement post-Grenfell. The cost of keeping scaffolding erected has not been established by the landlord, but the resident claimed staff had floated a figure of £500,000 per year.
