Lakeview leaseholders face significant costs as major repair work approved
Eighty-five leaseholders will avoid cladding charges, but other essential repairs could leave some facing hefty bills
Leaseholders living in 14 residential blocks at Woking’s Lakeview Estate face potentially “significant” costs after the council approved critical cladding and maintenance work and agreed on a preferred contractor.
Woking Borough Council removed dangerous combustible cladding from the blocks in Horsell in 2024 after fire risk assessments identified safety concerns.
However, the cladding is not the only issue affecting the estate. Widespread defects have also been identified with roof coverings, windows and doors, leaving some homes cold and allowing water to enter.
The council has decided to address a range of the defects while the buildings are already being accessed for the cladding works, in an effort to avoid further disruption and additional costs in the future.
But while the council has confirmed that the 85 affected leaseholders will not have to pay for the cladding repairs, it has warned that they could still face significant bills for other maintenance work.
Council officers have been speaking with residents about the proposals, while councillors have acknowledged concerns about the financial impact on leaseholders.
Councillor Ann-Marie Barker, who represents the Lakeview ward, said the progress was welcome despite the length of time the issue had taken.
She said: “As a ward member for Lakeview, I’m pleased we are starting to make some progress. It does seem to have been quite a slow drawn out thing.
“It’s really important to me and the rest of the executive that the council covers the cost of the cladding repairs and that we only ask the leaseholders to pay for the (maintenance) that would have come due.
“It would have been pointless to say ‘oh we’ll fix your cladding now and then we’ll come back in two years time’, put all of the scaffolding up again, cause disruption to do this additional work.
“But I know leaseholders are facing some significant sums being requested here and it’s very very important to us to find the best possible way we can enable them to be able to deal with these costs.”
The planned work will be carried out in phases, with blocks tackled individually.
Work is expected to begin towards the end of this year or early in 2027.
As well as addressing the existing defects, the project will include new insulation measures and improvements intended to increase building safety and energy efficiency.
The council has acknowledged that the proposed works are substantial and that charges could be significant for some leaseholders.
It has pledged to review the financial support available to affected residents.
A report is due to be published in November, setting out what financial assistance could potentially be offered to leaseholders facing the costs.
The review will be closely watched by residents as the council prepares to begin the long-awaited works at the Lakeview Estate.