A resident in a West London tower block claims her housing association dismissed her attempts to understand whether the building is safe or not. After expressing concerns about the overall safety, she says she was told the building was safe but that it's 'too complicated' for her to understand.

Helena Dennis has lived in the Peabody block, Bobbin House, in Acton, since 2023. She was moved into the property after her estate the old Friary Park Estate was demolished to make way for the development.

However, after discovering acrow props in the bin store room and structural steel columns in the ground floor shop, she started to research what the structures were for after feeling "ignored" when asking Peabody and builders Mount Anvil. She discovered that acrow props and the floor to ceiling steel columns to support walls, ceilings, and overhead loads.

'I can't sleep at night'

Helena, and other residents, received a letter informing them that they will be moved out of the building to allow for structural work to the building – but not for another 18 months. Helena told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) she is concerned that if such work needs to be done, whether it is safe to remain in the building until Spring 2027.

Peabody and Mount Anvil have insisted that it is safe and that the safety of residents is their main priority.

Helena said: "I had breast cancer, I had surgery in September… I'm struggling a lot…

"…Having aspergers and being autistic, how things like this affects me means I can't help but investigate it and I won't stop until its done. The longest I've gone [as a result] is 48 hours without sleep."

She later added: "Due to all the nonsense with Peabody, I told my doctor that I was stressed out and had been up for two days and two nights, obsessing about my home. My GP referred me to the mental health team. I was so distraught, I also rang MacMillan for someone to talk to."

Helena says she fears the underlying issues in the block could be dangerous.

Peabody and Mount Anvil say that the building is safe to live in, and that the works are part of a planned programme. According to the companies, these projects take time because they need detailed design, approvals, and arrangements for affected residents to be properly coordinated.

Despite this, Helena does not feel reassured about her and her neighbours' safety. She said: "I can't sleep because of all of this because it's concerning me…

"I can't relax here, it's scary to be here. I want to sleep, but I'm scared to sleep. I'm on medication for all of the mental health stuff that this has caused."

Helena told the LDRS: "I've been more upset about living here than I have been about the cancer."

When contacting Peabody and Mount Anvil with queries about the works and building safety, Helena claims she was told it was "too complicated" for her to understand, and that there is "no problem."

The works are not all that is cause for concern for Helena. Some of her neighbours claim to have suffered from collapsing sliding doors, falling balcony hinges, and floor sagging, which has been blamed on "heavy furniture."

When decanted from the property, Helena says residents are expected to pay their rent in advance, and continue paying towards the communal energy usage and service charges, despite being moved out for 12 weeks. She told the LDRS she is uncomfortable with the concept of people entering and being in her flat whilst she is not there, and as such will have to pay to put her belongings in storage.

While Peabody has acknowledged structural issues, she feels the company has not been entirely forthcoming in explaining clearly to residents what they are. The two companies say they have offered support and kept residents updated through letters and meetings.

'The building is safe to live in' – Peabody

According to Peabody and Mount Anvil, the investigations started in May 2025, following the appointment of a new structural engineer in May 2025. Following this, a wider review took place.

Temporary supports have been installed while engineers carried out further investigations and planned the permanent work.

They claim that residents are not being charged for any of the work needed – through service charges or other means, and that Peabody referred the matter to the Building Safety Regulator, as required.

A spokesperson for Peabody and Mount Anvil said: "The safety and wellbeing of residents at Friary Park is our priority. Following detailed, independent investigations, we have confirmed that additional work is needed in Bobbin House, Moru House and Silverleaf House.

"Our engineers have confirmed that the buildings are safe to live in, and this work will ensure they remain safe and in good condition for years to come. We have written to update everyone on the planned work and have been meeting with our residents who will need to move while the work is carried out.

"We wanted to give them as much practical information as possible, including what the programme will involve, who will be directly affected and what support is available. We'll continue to work hard to support residents and keep them updated as we finalise the programme and keep disruption to a minimum."