Residents living in one of London’s most famous brutalist tower blocks have said it is “downright insulting” that they have only been offered £100 in compensation after the lifts repeatedly broke down.
Balfron Tower, a 26-storey brutalist building in Tower Hamlets, has had ongoing issues with both lifts since September, with some residents complaining about having to climb 25 flights of stairs to reach their home.
Neighbours complained that they were left “trapped in their homes” when both lifts in the building were out of action for nearly a week last month.
Residents in the Grade II-listed tower previously explained they faced a 10-minute climb to get back to their flat when the lifts were broken and that they have been left with “crippling anxiety” about being trapped in a lift.
Questions were also raised about whether firefighters would be able to reach residents on the top floor during an emergency if the lifts were broken.
Since then, Harca, the company which owns the building, offered residents an e-voucher worth £100 for the “inconvenience” of both lifts being out of action for a week from May 13.
But Peter Yu, who lives in the building and suffers from a spinal injury, has said the offer has outraged residents.
He told the Standard: “We feel insulted. Our lives are worth £100. It’s not just about the lift not working, I think it’s borderline negligence.
“So many residents have asked for help, nothing is being offered. We feel insulted.”
The 58-year-old lives on the 15th floor of Balfron Tower and complained that he was told building staff would not be able to assist him beyond the seventh floor when both lifts were not working.
Mr Yu is physically impaired due to a spinal injury to his L3 and L4 discs, which left him in debilitating pain after climbing the stairs.
“This is not just about broken lifts — it is about broken trust, accountability, and the right to live safely and with dignity in our homes,” the resident added on a petition page.
In a letter sent on behalf of Balfron Tower residents to their MP Apsana Begum, Mr Yu added: “After everything we’ve endured, to be offered a flat-rate token - not even per person - is not only inadequate, it is downright insulting.
“This gesture minimises the severity of the situation and shows a complete lack of understanding (or concern) for the distress and damage caused.”
Mr Yu also alleged that multiple residents have medical documents that say their physical health “was directly impacted by being forced to repeatedly climb up to several floors, often without any help from on-site staff”.
He explained that statements have been collected from over 50 residents, including those with chronic health conditions and young children, whose lives were disrupted when the lifts were not in use. He continued: “Countless residents were forced to cancel work, education, medical appointments and basic errands…
“Many had no safe way to navigate the building. Others had to carry dogs or young children up and down unsafe stairwells with no CCTV and no staff presence, which created not just inconvenience, but serious safety risks.”
The resident has called for a review of the compensation offer from Harca.
A spokesperson for Poplar Harca said: “The service outage was the result of a unique, highly unfortunate and unlikely component failure, that could not have been foreseen or prevented.
“Throughout the period when lifts were not operational, all building safety requirements were fully adhered to. The safety of all residents was and remains our absolute priority and our contingency plans for this situation were signed off by the London Fire Brigade. The Balfron Tower team brought in additional on-the-ground support for residents, and provided specific support to those with additional needs.
“Engineers worked hard to restore service as quickly as possible, which required the expedited production and delivery of bespoke components from a supplier in Germany. The first lift was operational from 20th May and the second lift was operational from 23rd May.
“The lifts were and continue to be serviced on a frequent and best practice schedule.”
