UPDATE: April 2025
It is now just over 100 days since new directors were appointed to the Board of Riverview Gardens (Freehold) Limited: a good time to reflect on what has been achieved. The expanded Board has continued to meet monthly, with more informal discussions on an almost daily basis. At this point, the main drive is necessarily to continue to resolve legacy issues, analyse where things have gone wrong historically and put processes in place to ensure that problems are – as much as they ever can be – avoided in the future. The managing agent must now submit full quarterly reports to the board. Representatives from Tideway will attend the Board meeting on 8th April and will report on the status of the current major works and the results of the minor (emergency remedial) works. If you have an ongoing problem with your property that you feel has not been/ is not being attended to, please let the Board know so that this can be raised at this review. The Board has taken over management of day-to-day expenditure, with additional limits on spending by the managing agent put in place and new processes to track expenses introduced. A large amount of time is also being spent managing the current building works to a positive conclusion and preparing for the next phase in the summer.
So, whilst there is still much to do, it is felt strongly that considerable progress has been made.
As the expansion of the board has brought new manpower, energy and ideas, David McBride has decided that it is time to take a well-earned rest and has resigned his directorship. David has given a number of years’ service to the estate and was pivotal in its defence when the planning application in respect of the roof spaces was submitted. The new directors thank him for a handover that has made it easier for them to get to grips with their roles and the estate. David’s departure results in a vacancy. The Board has been working well with five permanent members. An odd number allows clear majority decisions to be made; debate is lively but can be kept concise; and there are sufficient resources to address the many areas involved in an estate of this size. We need to replace David and ask every shareholder to consider putting themselves forward. If you feel that you could offer something to the estate, please do send an email to info@riverviewgardens.co.uk. We will then set up an informal chat with one of the directors.
Residents’ Association
Sadly, we have received very limited interest in setting up a formal Residents’ Association. Going forward, the Board can only make well-informed decisions if it understands the views of all those who live in Riverview Gardens. This would allow broader consensus, before money is spent, on things that affect us all. There will always be diverse opinions and not everyone will get their desired outcome every time, but at least everyone will have a voice and the Board will be better informed. If you would be willing to help establish such an Association, we urge you to contact info@riverviewgardens.co.uk.
Current major works
The major works on flats 31 to 76 are now under better control, with daily checks on standards and progress being made. Communication with the various contractors is sometimes awkward, due to the number of trades involved and the occasional discovery of new areas of concern. As a result, we still can’t advise residents of a final completion date, although we hope that all the scaffolding will be gone in time for Easter. Whilst this is frustrating to both residents and the Board, the positive is that the valuable lessons learned during the course of these works will significantly aid planning and execution for future projects.
We will keep you informed as and when a reliable final timeline is communicated to us.
Next phase major works
As advised in the last newsletter, the next phase of cyclical major works, on flats 100 to 129, will take place between May and July this year. Following close scrutiny by the Board, TMD Building Consultancy has been appointed as chartered surveyors and project managers for the project and Section 20 notices have been issued. Please do take the time to read them and make any contribution to the selection of contractors that you feel appropriate. TMD has extensive experience of the type of buildings in Riverview Gardens and the day-to-day project manager has four other mansion blocks in their portfolio. This should deliver substantial advantage. Board members have checked the specification of works in detail to ensure that those learnings
from the previous project have been incorporated or covered. We are confident that this next phase of cyclical works will progress considerably more smoothly. The Tideway team are very aware that they will be judged on the success of this project, the first major works in which they have been involved from inception.
Security
The best way to ensure security is to raise awareness of any risk. Please do therefore report anything or anyone suspicious to both the police on 999 or 101 (depending on the seriousness of the situation) and the Board at info@riverviewgardens.co.uk. If you don’t wish to involve the police for any reason, please ensure that the Board is informed so that we can use the anonymised information to appeal for additional resources. There have been recent instances of unknown people being found in communal hallways. These appear to have been delivery drivers, let in by other residents because the intended recipient wasn’t at home. However, that makes an easy route into our buildings for those with more nefarious intent. We all need to take responsibility for our own security and that of others in our buildings. If someone asks to be let in to reach another flat, please keep an eye on them and ensure that they leave again once the delivery has taken place. As a result of past decisions, money has been spent on the garden entry system (the fob and code panels and App). At a time of necessarily high service charges, the Board is loath to spend further funds reversing these works. However, we monitor security measures at every Board meeting and are always interested to hear residents’ views on security and the convenience of any systems in place to aid it. At this stage, we can confirm that, as soon as the contractors working on Block 2 strike the final section of scaffolding, the long-standing gate code will be changed. This will be communicated via email and the information put onto the website. If any of your neighbours don’t access the Internet, please advise them when you are aware of the change.
Website
The Board is continuing to work on making the website a more useful resource and hopes to upgrade both its content and security over the next 3-4 months. Login details currently remain the same: www.riverviewgardens.co.uk – password: jardin
Housekeeping
Pets
We would like to remind residents of the rules around pets as these may have been forgotten in the passage of time or may not have been made clear to tenants in properties. The lease states:
No animals or birds shall be kept on the Demised Premises either (a) without the prior written consent in writing of the Lessor nor (b) following a notice to remove them from the Demised Premises given in writing by the Lessor following written complaints of nuisance from such animal from other occupiers of the Building.
Please can all pet owners seek permission from the Board for their pets if they haven’t already done so and be mindful that we live in a shared community and ensure that your animals don’t cause annoyance to others. Dogs should be kept on leads and not allowed to roam free or foul the paths, grass or flowerbeds.
Barbeques
As the weather hopefully continues to improve, may we please remind leaseholders that, on the river side of the street, barbecues or any other outdoor cooking must only take place adjacent to or on the wall between the communal gardens and the towpath. On the non-river side of the street, barbeques should be placed close to the back hedge, as far away from the buildings as possible.
Communications pathway
The promised communications graphic, detailing where residents should direct different enquiries, issues or requests, is now displayed in hallways. These communication routes aim to avoid frustration for residents unsure whom to contact and duplication between the Board and managing agent which may slow response times if one party believes that the other will be dealing with a matter. In future, the Board aims to respond to all emails to info@riverviewgardens.co.uk within 48 hours.
Garden party
Caroline Silver-Lewis has raised the suggestion of a summer garden party for residents to allow us all to get to better know our neighbours in the further reaches of the estate. Previous events have been very enjoyable. These occasions do require a bit of organisation however and Caroline would be very grateful for some informal support with arrangements. If you can lend a hand, please message her via the WhatsApp group or on 07850 443 551. Once Caroline and her group have decided on a suitable date, details will be circulated in a future newsletter.