Tenants of Kensal House estate are fighting to hold the landlord they share with Grenfell to account. SPID Theatre, whose youth and community productions advocate housing justice, raised a ground-breaking £2.6m for major access and safety works their space in the neglected estate. The refurbishment was pushed £700k over budget by unprecedented negligence and delays from owners Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC). 

SPID (Social Progressive Interconnected Diverse) united with Kensal House residents to spotlight chronic leaks, floods, mould and hazards with Class Act , SPID VS RBKC and A History of Neglect. The films call on RBKC to stop ongoing floods from sewage and rain water by replacing all the ancient pipework on the estate. They also protest plans for a nearby development called Project Flourish that would take 10 years to build, overshadow SPID’s historic home, block emergency access and fuel pollution.

The cause has inspired many allies. These include the residents of Kensal House and Grenfell represented on SPID’s boards, the longstanding funders of SPID’s refurbishment such as the National Lottery and Mayor’s Fund, and advocates across press and campaign groups like the Big Issue, Shelter and 20th Century Society. Their class action is supported by Lord Bird, who worked as a young gardener at Kensal House after experiencing homelessness. 

When asked on ITV news if they were acting quickly enough, RBKC promised to ‘do everything we can, we take this really seriously’.  But the council took more than a year to respond to SPID’s compensation claim with an offer of less than 10%, a mere £50k, which SPID has refused. They have also still not compensated residents. Tenants are calling for the following:

Compensate SPID for delaying access and safety works 
The council committed to remedying the pipework flooding SPID Theatre by August 2021 but failed to do so. Repeatedly postponing and holding works on standby cost the charity in delays. Floods persisted even after SPID’s refurbishment finally began in June 22, prompting the charity to take on RBKC for housing justice.  SPID is calling to be compensated for increased contractor costs and having to keep their capital team on hold whilst waiting a year for RBKC to do their job.

Compensate for statutory duty failures
Tenants of Kensal House have suffered repeated flooding, leaks, damp and water damage, making some or all of each property unsafe for use for long periods of time. The council has admitted negligence to SPID Theatre, and offered compensation. The charity, whose members and board include both Kensal residents and those displaced by Grenfell, is calling on the council to compensate all tenants for six years of exposure to chronic ongoing negligence, in addition to compensation for those who suffered special and health damages.

Fix leaks, floods and damp
Kensal House suffers chronic floods, leaks, damp and water damage which have been ignored from pipes, roof and windows for 17 years. Those who live and work in Kensal House estate are being failed by their landlord, RBKC council. RBKC’s Executive Director of Housing and Social Investment at Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea committed on ITV news to ‘bring forward the window works and do everything we can to get the pipes in as good a shape as we can.’ Tenants are calling for the landlord they share with Grenfell to replace the windows, pipework and roof waterproofing and install ventilation before 2025.  They want compensation for continued exposure to mould, floods and leaks if this deadline is missed.

Resident quotes:
Kensal House Residents Association Vice Chair and SPID trustee Salim Chowdhury:
I am one of several Kensal House Residents Association members who sit on SPID’s board. RBKC promised they would finally bring Kensal House estate up to standard by the end of SPID’s refurbishment. We must stand together and stand firm now or the council will never do their job. We all need windows, pipes and roof that are fit for purpose. We have all suffered in silence for too long. Thanks to SPID for this chance to do get justice for Kensal House, the films they make and press they get all help the cause. My windows are completely gone – I have to put towels down, all the sealants are black. We need new windows as well as ventilation systems.

SPID trustee Sylvia Akajioyi, displaced by Kensal floods:
I am grateful to SPID for their support in getting rehoused. It's down to their legal action that my family no longer live in sewage water. So far the compensation offered us is unacceptable. We need to act together to get justice for what we’ve been through.  

SPID Young Trustee Kris Lalaj, Kensal resident:
The plight of Kensal House's residents weighs heavy. Let us forge ahead, determined to see SPID theatre stand tall, offering the younger generation a realm of endless opportunities. Together, we seek reinforcements in our battle against the council: a call for competence and compassion, as within these flats reside communities of hardworking souls, striving to survive. United, we advocate for a well-deserved transformation for one and all.

SPID’s Co Chair Naomi Israel, lost friends to Grenfell:
I am proud to be taking legal action against RBKC for their negligence of Kensal. I sadly lost friends who were killed in the Grenfell fire tragedy. I have first hand witnessed how our landlord's systemic nature of neglect and its effect on Kensal over the years I have attended SPID. The fact that SPID’s boards now include Kensal House Residents Association members as well as those displaced by Grenfell shows our solidarity in fighting negligence. 

SPID’s Co Chair, displaced by Grenfell, Sophia Ollivierre:
RBKC continue to fail in their statutory duties to Kensal tenants, including SPID and residents. Its vital we unite to hold them to account. Suing them will ensure they finally fix Kensal’s leaks, floods and damp and compensate all affected tenants. RBKC are currently offering compensation to families like mine over Grenfell so the time is now.

SPID refurbishment project board member and Kensal resident Anita Williams:
Housing continue to neglect Kensal House estate and delay SPID’s refurbishment by failing in its statutory repair and safety duties to stop damp, leaks and floods following decades of investment programs – yet they have replaced windows and stack pipes on local estates; it’s time they did right by Kensal, whether we rent or lease live or work here we are all tired of being fobbed off by our landlord.

SPID Young Trustee Jack Nolasco, Kensal resident:
SPID has been working with young estate residents to provide creative healing for those who have been going through neglect and associated mental health issues, giving a voice to those who may go unheard due to housing injustice. The refurbishment is a dream that our landlord, which we share with Grenfell, has shattered. The fact that they have allowed their long term neglect to stall SPID’s vital access and safety works has left us in a worse state than before. The council has let us down over and over.

Press for SPID: 
'The moral is clear – we can win this! Four and a half stars!' The Big issue
 ‘A love letter to estates,’ ★★★★The Guardian
‘Next stop must be the Commons,’ ★★★★The Morning Star
‘A passionate defence of social housing,’ ★★★★ The Stage Review