Fears have been raised about the potential threat to public safety as a burnt out former job centre in North London has been left unsecured, with anyone able to just walk in. A huge fire engulfed the building in January, leaving it with smashed glass and covered in rubble.
Firefighters were called to a blaze at the former job centre on Coventry Close in Kilburn on January 17, which had already been disused for around five years. Two people were rushed to hospital following the blaze and the building then had to be recovered from squatters to ensure it was secure.
However, last week (July 18) a local resident noticed that the shutters had been removed and the building had been left in a “dangerous” state. They said the entrances are now “open to the public”, exposing rubble, trip hazards, and broken glass. Brent Council has instructed the landowner to secure the premises “without delay” or else it will take enforcement action.
Kilburn resident Clarence Jackman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “My worry is that there was a fire previously and leaving easy open entrances could end up with people going in and getting injured as rubble and rubbish all over the place. [It] could end up with another fire, injuries, death, drug users, rats, foxes etc.
“I don’t know who the owners of the building are but Brent Council should enforce boarding or do it themselves. Are we waiting for tragedies to happen just because some nails and boarding can’t be supplied? Plus it’s a complete eyesore […] that might attract people’s curiosity.”
Around ten fire engines and 70 firefighters were on scene to tackle the blaze, which had engulfed the ground floor of the three-storey building. Police officers removed squatters from the building on January 23 for “breach of the peace” and to ensure it was secure – with one man arrested for immigration offences.
Willesden Magistrates then issued a closure order in February, prohibiting access to the building for 48 hours. It had then been secured using shutters but Clarence told the LDRS that a nearby shopkeeper had advised him that they had been removed “a couple of days” prior to July 18.
A Brent Council spokesperson said: “We have contacted the landowner to make clear that the site is unsafe and must be secured without delay. We have instructed them to take immediate action to remove the hazards and restrict public access. If they fail to act promptly, we will pursue all enforcement options available to us to protect residents and ensure the site is made safe.”
Grant Williams is a journalist and Local Democracy Reporter (LDR) for Reach PLC, reporting on local government, politics and community issues across London. As part of the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he has contributed to Harrow Online, covering council decisions, housing developments, transport, planning matters and stories affecting local communities across Harrow and Brent.
