Jackie Doolan, a York Way Estate resident, said the City of London Corporation needs to put through the works as an ‘urgent priority’
A North London estate where residents have repeatedly railed against issues including lift breakdowns is to undergo a refurbishment. Some of those living on the York Way Estate in Islington have previously spoken of mould, mice infestations and the general deterioration of their homes.
Jayne White, a childminder on the fourth floor of one of the blocks, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) she was losing money as a result of the ongoing lift outages. The City of London Corporation, which owns and manages the York Way Estate, has now published plans to upgrade the lifts, lobbies and stairwells with consultants to be appointed this month.
The work, if approved at next week’s (November 10) Community and Children’s Services Committee, is expected to start in Spring 2027. Deputy Helen Fentimen, Chair of the Committee, said the upgrades will ensure a “safer, smoother, and more dependable lift service for years to come”.
York Way is one of several estates the Corporation owns and manages outside of the Square Mile. Others include the William Blake Estate in Lambeth and the Sydenham Hill Estate in Lewisham. The LDRS has visited the York Way Estate on several occasions and spoken with a number of concerned locals.
The issues raised have ranged from power outages – with one person saying they were refused drinking water by the Corporation despite none running in their block – to problems with mice and mould. Regular faults with the lifts was however the most persistent issue mentioned, with particular concern for vulnerable residents who rely on them to leave their homes.
In a paper prepared by Corporation officers it is recommended that an initial £60,000 be approved to progress the refurbishment, £50,000 of which is to go on consultant fees. The overall scheme is expected to cost around £3 million.
According to the paper: “The six residential lifts that service Penfields, Kinefold and Lambfold Houses on the York Way Estate have exceeded their recommended life span and require upgrading and refurbishment. All lift lobbies within the three blocks are in a poor state of repair and require refurbishment and the stairwells require decorating to bring them up to the expected standard.
“The existing lifts suffer regular breakdowns and require refurbishment and upgrading and brought to a modern standard. The tiles in the lift lobbies are stained, broken and falling off and need replacing. All the recent heating upgrade works, and new development has left the stairwells looking tired and in urgent need of redecoration.
“A holistic approach to the refurbishment and upgrade work is required looked at [sic] bring the buildings to above the compliancy standard.”
Jackie Doolan, who has lived on the estate for most of her life, said the estimated timeline is “not acceptable”. She told the LDRS: “We have constant breakdowns nearly on a daily basis which is getting worse month by month. By the time 2027 comes we will have no lifts operational. We are near that now.
“This is not fair on residents wondering daily if they can go out, whether they can get back in their flats especially the elderly, vulnerable, disabled and those with small children. This needs to go through as an urgent priority, not having a wait time of 18 months.”
Deputy Fentimen said: “These upgrades are a significant investment which provides a reliable, long-term solution to previous breakdowns and service interruptions. These essential improvements will enhance the daily lives of all residents – particularly those on upper floors – by ensuring safer, smoother, and more dependable lift service for years to come.”
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