What happened
Residents have been advised to leave Thanet Tower and Prince Court, the two remaining residential buildings at the Royal Gateway development in Newham. The evacuation took place on Friday 30 October, according to a statement from Newham Council. This follows the evacuation of three other towers on the same site a week earlier. The property management company, Prime Property Management (PPM), reported an “imminent risk to life” was identified in relation to a transfer slab under St Vincent Court, Centurion Tower, and Sovereign Tower. Newham Council then confirmed it had found these three towers to be “in a dangerous state”.
Dangerous structure notices have been served to the owners of St Vincent Court, Centurion Tower, and Sovereign Tower. These orders compel the parties to complete immediate temporary works and follow up with full remedial measures informed by a structural safety report. The council has not confirmed whether Thanet Tower and Prince Court received similar notices.
The Royal Gateway complex is managed by PPM on behalf of two right-to-manage companies, Rylgateway TPC RTM Company Limited and Rylgateway SCV RTM Company Limited. The complex comprises a total of 336 apartments across five blocks.
The background
Concerns about the buildings initially arose after PPM's structural engineers reviewed structural drawings for the three evacuated towers. A site inspection on 21 October confirmed these concerns, according to a PPM statement sent to Construction News. The council issued evacuation advice shortly after, following confirmation of the dangers presented by the identified structural faults.
The council has required building owners to complete a full structural appraisal, carry out detailed investigations into the building materials used, and commission an independent external peer review. The owners have the right to dispute the dangerous structure notices under the London Building Acts (Amendment) Act 1939. The council has warned that a failure to dispute or comply with the notices could prompt further enforcement action.
Royal Gateway is also known as Caxton Works and was delivered by developers Galliard Homes and Cathedral Group. Galliard Construction acted as the principal contractor. According to the council, building work commenced in 2014 and completed in 2017. The development includes a mix of studios, duplex penthouses, and one-, two- and three-bedroom flats, as described on Galliard Homes’ website.
What people are saying
Newham Council’s web statement emphasised that no dangerous structure notices had been served on commercial or residential occupiers within the blocks. PPM described that concerns started when structural engineers identified problems in the drawings for the first three towers and that these were confirmed by a site inspection.
A spokesperson for Galliard Homes told Construction News that the firm is taking the concerns about structural safety "extremely seriously" and is engaging independent engineers to investigate. The statement added that Galliard Homes is working with stakeholders to identify the right course of action following the findings.
What happens next
Owners of St Vincent Court, Centurion Tower and Sovereign Tower are now under legal obligation to carry out temporary and remedial works, pending the results of structural safety evaluations. Alongside the structural assessment, a peer review must be commissioned. The council’s statement outlines that enforcement action may follow if owners fail to comply with or formally dispute the notices as provided under current legislation.
For Thanet Tower and Prince Court, it remains unclear whether similar enforcement notices have been served. Residents from all five buildings have now been advised to leave due to the structural risks. Royal Gateway’s property management and development teams are working with independent engineering consultants to determine the scale of remedial works required and to plan next actions.