Lewisham Filigree: return date for evacuated tenants may be late 2026
The plant room of the new development in Lewisham Town Centre was flooded in February and residents moved to other Get Living developments.
Hundreds of residents who were evacuated from The Filigree new-build development in Lewisham earlier this year might not be able to return to their homes until late 2026.
More than 400 residents were forced to leave their flats after a major leak caused a power outage throughout the building. The incident was caused by a burst mains water pipe which flooded the plant room, leading to a loss of power in the buildings.
The residents were renters, some on the London Living Rent scheme. They were told that it would be unsafe to return to their flats.
Residents were supported in temporary accommodation by their landlord, Get Living, while an investigation was carried out to understand the long-term impact of the flooding. In March, they were told that repair work would take between six to 12 months.
Get Living posted an update on Instagram on 28 November which said the development is unlikely to reopen until mid to late 2026. “After a full investigation, we now know what work needs to be done. This includes replacing key equipment and materials so the energy centre can be safely rebuilt.
“As the work is complex and takes place underground, it will take some time to complete. Although we can’t confirm a reopening date yet, our early estimate is mid to late 2026 ..
“The incident has also affected some ground-floor retail spaces but the process of finding occupiers for these units, including the cinema, is still moving forward. We look forward to sharing updates on new retailers as soon as they’re confirmed.”
Residents stayed in temporary accommodation until 23 April when they were moved into other Get Living developments based in Stratford, Elephant & Castle, Leatherhead and Maidenhead at the same rent levels.
Lewisham council confirmed with Get Living that residents' rent would not change, and if they wanted to return, they would not pay council tax while unable to live at The Filigree.
Tenants have reportedly be given two months’ notice when the site will reopen, and can decide whether they want to return to their original home, terminate their tenancy or start a new tenancy at the Get Living property they were relocated to.
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'Loads of people are displaced'
One resident told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “There’s loads of people that don’t know that The Filigree is empty or that it’s sitting empty and that loads of people are displaced.
“People are having to move out of the borough – I don’t know how many people are in a similar situation or have been impacted similarly but I’m sure it’s a good few families.”
The site consists of 649 new homes, including 424 market rent and 106 affordable homes, and opened to tenants in the summer of 2024.
The development also includes 88,000 square feet of retail, leisure, food and beverage space and a new cinema.
A 'catastrophic infrastructure failure'
A Get Living spokesperson said they are dealing with a “catastrophic infrastructure failure” at The Filigree, which requires extensive repairs to ensure it is safe and habitable again for residents. They added: “As a company that prides itself on creating thriving new neighbourhoods for renters, we are committed to ensuring residents are supported throughout this period.
“We have been able to relocate a third of residents to other Get Living neighbourhoods at the same level of rent. This includes our London Living rent tenants who have been relocated to our market rent homes. We will continue to keep all residents closely updated as work progresses and remain committed to supporting them throughout this period.”
Councillor Will Cooper, Cabinet Member for Better Homes, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness at Lewisham Council, said: “The flooding at The Filigree has caused serious disruption for residents, and we understand how stressful this has been.
“While the situation is managed by Get Living, not the council, we are working closely with them to support residents. Get Living [has provided] temporary accommodation and [has offered] the option to move to other nearby properties at the same rent, including those on the London Living Rent scheme.”
Cooper added that anyone choosing this option will not have to pay council tax from the date they were first evacuated. He added: “We continue to monitor the situation and are committed to supporting residents during this difficult time.”
Green Party councillor Liam Shrivastava said the Filigree development “symbolises the litany of housebuilding failures in Lewisham”.
He added: “It’s totally unacceptable for people to have to stay another year out of their homes, with most placed out of borough.
“The Mayor of Lewisham incorrectly accuses the Green Party of being anti-development, but under decades of Labour administration, Lewisham has seen too many poorly designed, sub-standard and unaffordable housing being built. Lewisham Greens want high-quality affordable housing, not poorly-built homes that serve profits over people.”
Councillor James-J Walsh, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Regeneration and Planning at Labour-run Lewisham Council, said: “Lewisham Council was neither the developer nor the building control authority for Filigree. We acted immediately to support residents, and we are pushing the developer to fix the issues without delay. Trying to paint that as a wider systemic failure is simply wrong. Our priority is delivering high quality, genuinely affordable homes.”
Walsh added: “Councillor Shrivastava’s claims do not stand up to scrutiny. He has never delivered a single home in Lewisham, yet he is quick to criticise those who are doing the hard work. Lewisham Council has been rated, in the last month, as a Gold standard planning authority and one of the top three in London by the government [National Planning Performance figures].”
The real estate investment firms behind Get Living
Get Living describes itself as "the UK's leading build-to-rent operator of large scale neighbourhoods", and claims to offer "a better way to live and rent".
It started as a joint venture between Delancy - a real estate investment, development and asset management firm - and Qatari Diar, another real estate investment company.
Australian superannuation fund, Aware Super bought out Qatari Diar in 2023.
The firm is split into multiple different limited companies, many of which are registered in the British Virgin Islands, a tax haven.
Reporting by Ruby Gregory, Local Democracy Reporter with additional reporting by Dorothy Stein.
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