Sundowner residents left without insulation for nine months

The Sundowner building in Ocean Village was stripped of its cladding in January as part of fire safety works commissioned following the Grenfell tragedy.

But work suddenly stopped with no new cladding back on the building, which contains 40 flats.

After nine months with no insulation, residents say they have been left freezing in their own homes with no end in sight, and another cold winter on the horizon.

Sundowner resident, Richard Betts, said: “We have been completely left in the dark with no end in sight – it's been nine months and we are at our wits end.

“It affected all of our lives – you can see the stress on the residents faces."

The 53-year-old continued: “We came here for the wonderful view – now the floors are beginning to lift up and water is starting to seep in without the cladding.”

As well as freezing conditions, residents have also suffered from damp, mould and leaks – with one resident left having rainwater pouring through a ceiling spotlight.

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Residents, some of whom are rent and others who own the leasehold for their flats, said one of their neighbours is in her 90s and lives alone while another has Parkinson’s.

Both have had to endure cold conditions as a result of not having insulation.

The Sundowner building (Image: NQ) Resident, Sheryl Mainwaring, 72, said: “First it was supposed to be a year – now its gone on far longer than that and all that’s been done is the cladding and insulation have been taken.

“It's so cold – my electricity bill has trebled just so I can stay warm in my flat.

“When I moved here, I pictured me having a lovely drink on the balcony in the sun – by the time they finish Ill be too old to care.”

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MP for Southampton Itchen, Darren Paffey, has been working with Sundowner residents in a bid to get the work back up and running, after it stalled earlier this year.

He said: “It is frankly unacceptable that residents' lives are being made miserable by snail-pace works and unsightly scaffolding on top of the stress and uncertainty of living with the consequences of unsafe cladding.

"While I understand that works at the Sundowner building are necessary to deliver important safety improvements, it's important these works are completed, and outstanding issues are resolved quickly.

“I will be raising these concerns with the company undertaking the works and will stay in contact with residents to ensure these matters are brought to a quick conclusion.”

Building company response

The company funding the remediation works at Sundowner has apologised to residents who have been left without insulation for nine months.

A spokesperson for Barratt said: “We are sorry to hear of the delays to the fire safety remediation work at Sundowner, Admiral’s Quay, however, while we are funding these works we have no control over how they are delivered.

“Instead, as agreed by the residents through their Right To Manage company, they have appointed their own project manager and contractor to deliver this important cladding work for them which we will pay for.

“Separate to this there are additional works happening in the basement car park, for which we are responsible, this is progressing as planned.”