More than 400 residents who were evacuated from the new Lewisham Gateway development in February might not be able to return home until late next year, the building’s landlord has said.
A major leak in the three newest blocks, between the station and shopping centre, knocked out water and power supplies for some homes. The incident, which was caused by a burst mains water pipe, flooded the basement of the energy centre, which supplies power to homes in The Filigree, the second phase of the development.
The residents, who are all private tenants, were told they could not return to their flats because it was unsafe to do so, and were placed in temporary accommodation by their landlord, Get Living.
In March, residents were told they could expect repair work to take between six to 12 months. But now Get Living says The Filigree is unlikely to reopen until mid to late 2026.
The update, which was posted on the site’s Instagram page on November 28, said: “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 Filigree consists of 530 flats, including at 424 market rent and 106 homes at London Living Rent, a form of “affordable” housing where rent is set at about one third of average local income. There are also 119 co-living spaces, where tenants share amenities like kitchens.
The whole Lewisham Gateway project was more than 20 years in the making, with the first phase – unaffected by the issues that have blighted the second – opening in 2016. The Filigree, the second phase, finally opened last year after a contractor pulled out of the project in a row over costs. The new phase includes ground-floor retail units and a nine-screen cinema, although the intended occupier, Empire Cinemas, went bust in 2023 and the unit has not yet been used.
Get Living said that while the incident had also affected the retail units, which had yet to be occupied, it was finding new tenants for those, including for the cinema. “We look forward to sharing updates on new retailers as soon as they’re confirmed,” it said.
In April, tenants were moved into other Get Living developments in Stratford and Elephant & Castle, as well as outside London at Leatherhead and Maidenhead.
One resident, who has asked not to be named, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “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.”
Get Living said it was dealing with a “catastrophic infrastructure failure” at The Filigree, which would require extensive repair work. The company said: “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.”
Liam Shrivastava, a Green councillor for New Cross Gate, 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 the borough.
“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.”
But James-J Walsh, the cabinet member for regeneration and planning at the Labour-run 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.”
Will Cooper, Lewisham’s cabinet member for housing, said that residents had been exempted from council tax from the day they were evacuated.
“The flooding at The Filigree has caused serious disruption for residents, and we understand how stressful this has been,” he said.
“While the situation is managed by Get Living, not the council, we are working closely with them to support residents. We continue to monitor the situation and are committed to supporting residents during this difficult time.”
Ruby Gregory is the Local Democracy Reporter for Lewisham. The Greenwich Wire is a partner in the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which is a BBC-funded initiative to ensure councils are covered properly in local media. Additional reporting by Darryl Chamberlain
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