Outraged residents have hit out at “over the top” and “ridiculous” new rules restricting what they can and cannot have on their balconies.
Tenants at council-owned flats in Shepherd Street, in Northfleet, have recently been told to remove their belongings which have the potential to cause or help the “spread of fire”.
Prohibited items include clotheslines and clothes, gas canisters, barbecues and patio heaters, any equipment powered by fuel, trailing cables, sockets or electrical white goods, paints, oils or paint thinners.
Excessive furniture or items cluttering the balcony, plastic or upholstered furniture, loose plant pots, curtaining or enclosing or gating off the balcony in any way is also not allowed.
Residents are also asked not to discard cigarettes on the balcony as embers could ignite combustible materials on neighbours’ homes.
Despite saying they understand and are happy to comply with the changes, those living in Shepherd Street claim there is no consistency on what is allowed, as some have been told different things.
Natasha McNeill, who has lived in one of the flats for four years, said she has never been told of any rules regarding her second-floor balcony, and it is not mentioned in the tenancy agreement.
However, she has now been ordered by council officers to clear her balcony of her plants, metal table, rotary washing line, and her son’s bike and scooter.
The items were supposed to be removed by June 30, yet the 35-year-old has yet to move anything other than the children’s vehicles.
The part-time waitress said: “I understand not leaving bikes and prams in the hallways because if there were a fire, you could not get out, but on the balcony, it is not blocking a means of escape.
“I used to have chairs and would sit out on the balcony, but I was told I had to get rid of them, so I did.
“We are not just complaining. If we cannot have it, then fine, but the council needs to lead by example. Every week, we are being told something different.
“They say it is a fire risk, but they are not replacing the wood or plastic around the block of flats, like the wooden doors. It is one rule for one and another for another.
“I understand if there are risks, but I have never heard of a bicycle or flower pot miraculously bursting into flames unless someone has set it on fire. The rules do not make sense.
“We feel as residents, we are not allowed to use our own balconies now. We cannot put items in the sheds as they are always getting broken into, and we cannot keep them all in the flat.
“We are not troublemakers. We are trying to make the flats our homes, but it does not feel like home anymore.”
Her neighbour, who did not wish to be named, agreed, stating that the local authority needs to lead by example, pointing to the risks the wooden doors next to the tenants’ front doors could pose.
Despite owning her flat, the 57-year-old was told to take down her bamboo fencing and replace it with a metal one, which she did.
However, she is now being asked to take it down until she can provide the composition details of the new railings to ensure they meet the council’s standards.
She said: “I find it very, very unfair. It is absolutely ridiculous, you would have to come at most of these items with a blow torch for them to combust.
“We should be taking recommendations from the Grenfell inquiry, but they need to stop thinking in black and white, there needs to be a grey area.
“These are still people’s homes, these are not office blocks.
“We understand that if there is a fire risk, but the council should be looking at how they can help residents make it right, rather than slamming everyone with notices.
“I feel we are not being supported, and it is not good enough. It has gone too far. It is sheer hell, and this is not acceptable.
“Rather than tell us what we cannot have, why not support us and tell us what we can have? We are not asking the council to buy it for us, but tell us what we can have so we know.”
Karen Noakes, who lives in another block, has now been told to remove her rope washing lines and replace them with a rotary line, unlike Natasha, who has been told to remove her washing completely.
The 57-year-old said: “I have been here since 2014, and it has never been like this. There have never been any rules on the balconies.
“I understand if there are risks, but I think this is over the top. It is an unwelcome change.
“We are all being told different things. I do not want to get a rotary line if I then have to get rid of it. When does it stop?”
A spokesman for Gravesham council confirmed its tenants and leaseholders had been contacted by its teams regarding fire safety issues and given advice, particularly relating to balconies.
He added: “Our first and major responsibility to our tenants is to ensure they live in safe homes.
“During fire risk assessments carried out at Shepherd Street, our assessors found numerous balconies with combustible screening fitted, which could allow flames to spread vertically up the building and advised that the screening should be removed.
“Since the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, much more emphasis is being placed on the risk of external fire spread.
“This is because a fire on the outside of the building has an unlimited supply of oxygen and can be spread upwards by air currents created by the heat, sideways by wind or downwards by burning material falling onto balconies below.
“We have recently updated our building safety advice for tenants, which includes advice on balcony fire safety and a comprehensive but not exhaustive list of items that have the potential to cause or help the spread of fire, and which are therefore not permitted on balconies.
“In May, there was a major fire in a housing association property in Gravesham, caused by someone smoking on their balcony and not extinguishing a cigarette properly.
“Despite seven fire appliances attending the scene, the damage was so extensive that 12 families had to be rehoused.
“We do not want our tenants to go through a similar, devastating experience, and our requests to them to keep their balconies clear of flammable material and clutter are solely to minimise the risk of that happening.”
Under updates to the Fire Safety Act 2021, assessments must now include balconies and the external walls of buildings, and the local authority would be obliged to resolve any issues raised.
