An update on Holborough Lakes fire.

We wanted to give you a brief update on the situation at Holborough Lakes after the fire.

Berkeley Homes are still accommodating several families at a local hotel and have been liaising with residents about their longer term rehoming options. This is not a straightforward process as there were a mixture of tenures with some families being owner-occupiers and other being tenants of private landlords.

Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council are working together closely with Berkeley and have allocated Housing Officers to the families that need it. TMBC may need to give short term financial assistance to some households, depending on their circumstances. TMBC are also monitoring the cases of all those who have been displaced from their home.

Those families who were temporarily displaced from the adjacent block due to the electrical power outage have all been given the all clear to return. Some flats required a "deep clean" before residents could return.

The rebuild timescale is dependent upon the findings of a forthcoming engineering assessment to be carried out by Berkeley Homes. Berkeley Homes are carrying out air quality monitoring in the adjacent block whilst temporary works take place to remove debris and put up scaffolding.

We haven't heard any further news on the cause of the fire, other than that it started on a third floor balcony.

Cllr David Lettington

The fire at Holborough Lakes

I just wanted to write a quick post to say how proud I am of the way that the residents of Snodland have responded to the fire at Holborough Lakes.

It is clearly absolutely devastating for the families affected; many have lost their homes and treasured possessions. The shock of seeing flames engulf your home cannot be understated. The feelings of sadness for those families are also mixed with an immense relief that no lives were lost and that there were no serious injuries.

The emergency services responded swiftly, which undoubtedly saved lives, and have acted with total professionalism and compassion for the residents. Likewise, I wanted to thank staff from TMBC Building Control who worked with Kent & Fire and Rescue Service to establish the extent of the structural damage, and to the Housing Officers who gave advice to residents about their rehoming options.

People who have been following the ongoing parking saga at Holborough will know that I don't always agree with the actions of Berkeley Homes, but I have to say that both Berkeley and their managing agent RMG have responded brilliantly and, where those affected could not stay with friends or family then Berkeley have paid for them to stay in a local hotel.

The community have also been incredibly generous, there were more donations than could be handled and there has also been a JustGiving page set up ( www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/holboroughlakesfire ) that has raised over £3000 at the time of writing.

It is apparent that the whole block will need to be rebuilt - the damage from fire and water is too significant to permit repairs, even on the lower levels.

I'm sure there will be further information coming forward in the next few weeks, but for now I just wanted to say a big thank you to the community for all of the support that has been given to everyone that has been affected.

Cllr David Lettington