At a meeting of the Barbican Residential Committee, several key decisions were made regarding the maintenance and refurbishment of the Barbican Estate, including approving an in-house repairs and maintenance team, appointing a forensic architect for Ben Jonson House, and progressing with lift, roof, and window refurbishment programmes. The committee also received updates on service charge matters and ongoing workstreams.

Repairs and Maintenance

The committee approved a proposal to establish a Direct In-House Team (DIHT) for repairs and maintenance, following the declaration of commercial non-viability and intent to exit the contract from Chigwell Group PLC, the current contractor. The BEO ¹ proposes that the DIHT will be fully integrated within the Barbican Estate Office and funded through service charges. The like-for-like total five-year cost of the in-house model is projected at £4.94 million, which is a saving on the external delivery model which is costed at £5.47 million.

The proposed team would consist of a repairs supervisor, six maintenance operatives, and a planner/resident liaison, supported by existing contract and administrative staff. The report noted that legal advice suggested that TUPE² regulations were likely to apply to the three direct employees of Chigwell, but not to the five individuals who hold self-employed status.

The committee was asked to note the contents of the report and approve the resourcing requirements to move the Lot 2 repairs and maintenance service to be delivered in-house, as set out in the business case.

Appointment of Expert Witness

The committee approved the appointment of Hawkins as the forensic architect (expert witness) to review Ben Jonson House to determine liability and magnitude of costs related to rectifying problems with the building's fabric. The cost for Hawkins' services is £86,350 + VAT, which is below the pre-tender budget of £100,000. The funding will be drawn from the City Fund as a landlord cost.

Five firms were invited to tender, but one was excluded for non-compliance. Hawkins achieved the highest overall score (86%) across technical, price, and interview categories. The appointment is expected to take two months.

G1/G2 - Roof & Windows

The committee approved the Gateway 2 reports for both the Roof & Balcony Renewal Programme and the Window Repairs Programme, allowing both projects to progress. While the reports are separate to facilitate specialist procurement, they form part of a single coordinated Building Envelope strategy overseen by a lead architect. The funding strategy is service charge (95%) with a local risk contribution. The outcome of the Expert Witness exercise at Ben Jonson House may impact cost allocations in the future.

The estimated costs are:

• Roof - £765,000
• Windows - £500,000

Barbican Residential Estate Lift Refurbishment

The committee approved the project to progress to Gateway 3 – Outline Options Appraisal via the complex approval track. They also approved a budget of £438,000 for the Phase 1 works, and noted that the total estimated project budget of the Phase 1 works is estimated at c.£6,312,000. The lifts across the Barbican Residential Estate are end of life and requiring overhaul. The project will bring the lifts up to a good standard of repair, whilst also bringing them up to current regulations. The Phase 1 works include Lauderdale Tower, Shakespeare Tower, and Cromwell Tower.

Service Charge Leaseholder Updates

The committee received a report providing updates on service charge matters to the leaseholders of the Barbican Residential Estate. The report included the following appendices:

• Andrewes House
• Ben Jonson House
• Brandon Mews
• Breton House
• Bryer Court
• Bunyan Court
• Cromwell Tower
• Defoe House
• Frobisher Crescent
• Gilbert House
• John Trundle Court
• Lambert Jones Mews
• Lauderdale Tower
• Mountjoy House
• Seddon House
• Shakespeare Tower
• Speed House
• Thomas More House
• Willoughby House

The report also provided updates on the new system implementation to provide transparency and accountability in service charge management.

Report of Director of Property and Estate Management

The committee were informed of workstreams considered at the Major Works Program Board and Reporting Committee.

Avanti Architects have provided their first draft report on the Brandon Mews Canopy, and it is under review with a view to bringing a report to the November RCC/BRC cycle.

The Head of Resident Services post has been offered and subject to referencing Curtis Bannister-Pond will be joining on 1 October.

The Governance Review has progressed with several firms approached for expressions of interest following the approval of the Terms of Reference. A report with recommendations will be presented to the November RCC/BRC cycle.

The PPM Program/ Capital Expenditure Program/ Contracts Matrix documents have been created by the BEO and are currently being refined. They will be presented to the Major Works Program Board and Reporting Committee before coming to the RCC/BRC for review and discussion in November.

The report noted that a lot of time and resources have gone into dealing with the termination of Chigwell and the BEO's response to this, which has had an impact on other workstreams. The BEO has been operating without a Head of Resident Service for the entire quarter.