Council takes control of London project after partial collapse

Contractors are working to stabilise a four-storey building that partially collapsed on to a busy London shopping street last week.

Hackney Council said it had taken control of a project on Stoke Newington High Street after scaffolding and masonry fell on to the pavement on Friday (27 January).

Firefighters were called to the scene and about 20 people were evacuated from nearby shops. A section of the High Street remains closed.

The local authority said a four-storey Victorian terraced building, which features homes above a ground-floor shop, had partially collapsed.

“The council has used its building control enforcement powers to take control of the work to make the building safe,” it said on Sunday.

“Our contractors are now working hard to construct a supporting structure that will stabilise the existing scaffold and the building so that work can then take place to make the site safe.

“This is complex work and, while teams are working around the clock, we are not yet able to provide a firm timescale for the work to be completed and the road to reopen.”

[12:18] Ian Weinfass

A Health and Safety Executive spokesperson said investigators are aware of the incident and are making initial enquiries.

An image retweeted by the London Fire Brigade showed a block of scaffolding across the front of several shops on the street and the homes above them. A sign marked BG Scaffolding could be seen. The company has been contacted for comment.

No one was injured in the collapse. There is no detail available at this stage of how the incident occurred.

People living in the affected building have been offered alternative accommodation while the council is also temporarily relocating people from homes across the road.