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27th May 2021
27th May 2021
Urgent OVERDUE ISSUE
Urgent OVERDUE ISSUE
Overheating in Homes Due to Excessive Communal Heat Settings
Overheating in Homes Due to Excessive Communal Heat Settings
Residents of the Oval Road Estate, located at 30 Oval Road (within the Henson Building), are again raising serious concerns about persistent overheating in their homes. This issue affects 70 flats in total - including 24 homes managed by Riverside One Housing - and is directly linked to the excessively high temperature settings of the communal heat exchange system.
Over recent years, the problem has worsened significantly. Today’s video evidence (see link below) shows hot water temperatures exceeding 70°C at the tap, while official guidance from the Health and Safety Executive recommends a safe delivery temperature of 44°C to avoid the risk of scalding, particularly for children and vulnerable residents.
🔗 HSE Guidance on Scalding and Burning
📺 [Watch today's video measurement on YouTube - embedded below]
This excessive heat also means that many residents cannot close their windows without experiencing oppressive internal temperatures - undermining both comfort and sound insulation. This is especially concerning now that the Morrisons redevelopment has begun directly in front of our homes, with demolition and construction noise expected to continue for the next six years.
The cause appears to be the communal heating system that pumps 80°C water from three basement boilers up into individual utility cupboards. Heat is transferred via radiator-like exchangers into our homes, creating persistent latent heat even when radiators are off - including in summer months. This makes many flats unbearably hot year-round.
We are urgently calling for:
Immediate consultation and technical investigation into this issue
A clear explanation of system settings and design constraints
A practical solution - such as reducing the temperature settings for the Oval Road Estate section (flats 47–70) by approximately 20°C, subject to testing
We request urgent written response and collaboration from all responsible parties, including housing officers, property managers, and building services contractors.
📧 Please reply to: ovalroadestate@gmail.com
We appreciate the need for system-wide considerations, but the wellbeing and safety of Oval Road residents must be prioritised. This situation cannot continue through the coming summer and multi-year construction period.
27th May 2021
27th May 2021
THE Windows of homes in this estate cannot be closed for sound insulation
THE Windows of homes in this estate cannot be closed for sound insulation
due to Overheating from an excessively HIGH set communal heat exchange SYSTEM FOR the heating and hot water to the 70 HOMES at The Henson Building, 30 Oval Road ( 24 OF WHICH ARE OHG OVAL ROAD ESTATE Social Housing )
due to Overheating from an excessively HIGH set communal heat exchange SYSTEM FOR the heating and hot water to the 70 HOMES at The Henson Building, 30 Oval Road ( 24 OF WHICH ARE OHG OVAL ROAD ESTATE Social Housing )
REPORTED OVER AND OVER AGAIN OVER THE YEARS GETTING MUCH WORSE OVER PAST YEAR OR SO, VIDEO BELOW, SHOT TODAY SHOWS HOT WATER OVER 70 DEGREES CENTIGRADE, WHEN 44 DEGREES CENTIGRADE IS THE RECOMMENDED SAFE TEMPERATURE TO PROTECT YOUNG AND VULNERABLE FROM SCALDING - https://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/scalding-burning.htm
WE REQUEST URGENT SUPPORT WITH CONSULTATION, EXPLANATION AND SOLUTION FROM HOUSING AND BUILDING MANAGEMENT SO THAT WE CAN CLOSE THE WINDOWS OF OUR HOMES OVER THE NEXT 6 YEARS OF DEMOLITION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF MORRISONS IN FRONT OF OUR HOMES,
PLEASE CAN RESPONSIBLE PARTIES WORK TOGETHER WITH US TO RESPOND URGENTLY, IN WRITING, TO OVALROADESTATE@GMAIL.COM AS MORRISONS DEMOLITION HAS STARTED AND OUR FLATS ARE TOO HOT TO BE ABLE TO CLOSE AND USE THE SOUND INSULATION OF THE DOUBLE GLAZING DUE TO SEVERE LATENT HEAT THROUGHOUT THE OVAL ROAD ESTATE PART OF THE HENSON BUILDING FROM THE 80°C HEATED WATER EXCHANGE SYSTEM PIPING BEHIND THE WALLS AND CEILINGS FROM THE 3 GAS BOILERS IN THE BASEMENT PIPED UP INTO OUR HALLWAYS AND HOMES TO BE EXCHANGED BY RADIATOR LIKE UNIT IN EACH OF OUR UTILITY CUPBOARDS THAT TRANSFERS THE 80°C WATER HEAT TO COLD INLET OF THE HOME TO 70°C OUT OF OUT THOSE TAPS. HENCE THE CONSTANT HEAT THROUGHOUT THE HALLWAYS AND HOMES EVEN IN THE SUMMER. WE SUGGEST THAT THE WHOLE SYSTEM OR JUST THE SETTINGS FOR THE OVAL ROAD ESTATE PART OF THE HENSON MADE UP OF FLATS 47 - 70 THAT DESPERATELY NEED THE TEMPERATURE REDUCED BY APPROXIMATELY 20°C, IT WILL BE A MATTER OF TRIAL AN ERROR ASAP.
OVERHEATED BUILDING
OVERHEATED BUILDING
- DUE TO EXCESSIVE 80°C COMMUNAL HEAT EXCHANGE SYSTEM SETTINGS
- REPORTED FOR YEARS NOW
- Urgent Resolution Required
DAMAGE CAUSED OVER THE YEARS
DAMAGE CAUSED OVER THE YEARS
BY LEAKING OVERHEATED HEAT EXCHANGE PIPES ↓
Hallway - 1ST Floor cupboard - HEAT EXCHANGE HOT Water escape
Hallway - 1ST Floor cupboard - HEAT EXCHANGE HOT Water escape
Documented since 22nd May 2025, still unresolved 23 July 2025 with major avoidable damage
First Reported - 22nd May 2025
80°C COMMUNAL heat EXCHANGE hot water ESCAPE DAMAGE
80°C COMMUNAL heat EXCHANGE hot water ESCAPE DAMAGE
- Reported to Property Manager at Estate Inspection 2025-05-22
- 2 months later the damage had been allowed to get out of control 2025-07-23
- POOR SERVICE RESPONSE CAUSED UNREASONABLE DAMAGE
- FAILED ESTATE INSPECTION REPORT
- Urgent Response Missed
Hallway - 1ST Floor Ceiling - HEAT EXCHANGE HOT Water escape
Hallway - 1ST Floor Ceiling - HEAT EXCHANGE HOT Water escape
Documented since 23 January 2020, still unresolved 22 August 2020
Ceiling damage on 1st floor like this for months, photographed since 23 January 2020, now 22 August. At least 7 months unrepaired.
Hallway - 4th Floor Ceiling - HEAT EXCHANGE HOT Water escape
Hallway - 4th Floor Ceiling - HEAT EXCHANGE HOT Water escape
Documented since 16th September 2019, still unresolved 23rd October 2019
One Housing achievements so far on this urgent repair of communal water escape :
1. The container has got bigger to catch the water in
2. The hole in the ceiling has got bigger
It has been left open and dripping for over a month now. There are two wheelchair bound residents that have to get past this to the lift from their homes on this floor, how are they expected to do this? This is abusive neglect.
One Housing have not provided monthly estate inspections for residents to attend for over 5 months now, when it is their policy to do so, monthly and to encourage attendance with the inspection schedule available on display for the whole year on our notice boards. This schedule was unceremoniously removed in June when the property management department took over from Housing Officers, the schedule we are supposed to be on for 2019 is linked here and here are the outstanding issues accumulated from previous inspections
23rd October 2019
23rd October 2019
16/17th September 2019
16/17th September 2019
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