‘Developers are plonking luxury penthouses on top of our homes’

Nobody likes the sight of giant metal scaffolding outside of your window, especially when you had no idea about it.

But residents of Chiswick Village now have to put up with water leaks, noisy building works and scaffolding on a daily basis.

This is because developers, London Penthouse Ltd, and landlord, Colin Tett, decided to build a whole new floor for luxury penthouses right above the existing flats.

Chiswick Village consists of 15 blocks containing about 280 flats, but the works are so disruptive for tenants that six of the flats have already been put up for sale.

Many from the close-knit Chiswick Village community have said they had no idea the development was going ahead.

One resident who has rented in the blocks for more than six years told the Daily Mail: ‘I’ve lived here since 2019 and I hadn’t been informed about it at all.

‘The noise is really affecting me a lot – that’s the main issue, although I also noticed the water in my flat has gone on and off at various times.’

Piyu Banerjee, who only moved in last weekend,was unaware of the scale of the ‘restrictive’ works.

She described the scaffolding as ‘ugly’ but also ‘hazardous’, saying builders can easily look through her window.

A young mum-of-three who has recently bought a top-floor flat believed she could settle into a family home with plenty of light.

However, the development has not only reportedly devalued her property, but it also causes relentless noise directly above her.

Developers, London Penthouse Ltd, have disagreed with residents saying they were not told in advance.

On Chiswick Village’s website, there is a dedicated section to the penthouse development where updates are posted.

The latest update was a response to the claims with a copy of an email from Joe Griffin, managing director of London Penthouse, which read: ‘We have made a real effort to foster a good working relationship with the board of CVRL and their managing agents.

‘We have also been mindful to avoid getting involved in the ‘he said, she said’ antagonistic nature of a lot of the correspondence we have seen.

‘Ultimately, the penthouse development team, the CV residents, leaseholders, and estate management are going to be living and working alongside each other for the next few years and a “us and them” mentality, is not beneficial for anyone involved.

‘This is something we have wanted to avoid, but we do understand that the project is a big change for the village and our presence will inevitably upset some people, so we know that people will want to vent their frustrations – we get that.’

Several communications were also attached showing different correspondences between the developers, tenants and others involved.

Residents also have fire safety concerns as rumours go around the blocks that rules are not being followed.

This fear comes from how Chiswick Village will become more than 11 metres tall, making it fall under the Building Safety Act.

After the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, this new act was passed in 2022, introducing new requirements and safety standards for high rise and construction blocks.

These requirements include fire doors at flat entrances and escape routes, sprinkler systems, wayfinding signage and evacuation systems.

Residents claim many of these are not being followed.

Martin Weaver, 65, is the chairman of the Chiswick Village Residents Limited and has faced the brunt of complaints from fellow tenants.

He has lived in the village since 1988 and told the Daily Mail: ‘Our sanctuary has now been threatened and we’ve got no protection whatsoever. 

‘I worry that the whole building itself will become intolerable to live in – I work from home and the noise is already a lot.’ 

The directors of Chiswick Village and Hounslow Council have been approached for comment.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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