Tower residents could face £40k charges for refurb

The owner of a landmark tower block has suggested residents take out loans or mortgages if they cannot afford potential £40,000 repair charges.

A regulator found multiple safety issues, including deteriorating concrete cladding, at Arlington House in Margate, Thanet District Council said.

The subsidiary of conglomerate Freshwater that owns the iconic 1960s tower is planning refurbishment works that could cost leaseholders £40,000 each, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Company representative Martin Bale told councillors: "That is one way of funding it, that's probably the best suggestion I can give."

Answering questions from the council's overview and scrutiny panel on Wednesday, Bale said the firm was "raising this early so that there is an opportunity for residents to seek funding".

He suggested residents could find the money by "extending mortgages if they have them, taking mortgages if they don't" or by "making arrangements with a lender to provide the funds".

The building owner is obliged to consult before carrying out substantial works as leaseholders will ultimately be charged their share of the costs, according to a council report.

Councillor Phil Fellows claimed the flats would be "unmortgageable" due to the costs.

Bale said an alternative was that residents "sell their flats".

Margate-based artist Dame Tracey Emin, who owns multiple Arlington House flats, criticised management of the building.

In a statement to the council, she said: "Why, when I have only owned my flats for four years or less, am I being held responsible for years and years of constant neglect by Freshwater?"

The artist wrote that "slow erosion" of Arlington House was due to "wilful lack of responsibility".

Councillor Rob Yates, who used to live in the building, said the company had shown "a pattern of avoiding, disregarding and ignoring residents entirely".

Bale told councillors it was Freshwater's "aspiration to return this building to the magnificent building it once was, but Rome wasn't built in a day".

"It is not neglect that a building built in 1963 in the teeth of the weather needs work doing to it," he said.

Proposed works include improvements to Arlington House's roof, windows and exterior, according to the company.

The council said the Building Safety Regulator concluded in 2025 that the concrete structure and panels were "a risk to the health and safety of residents and members of the public".

The structural integrity of Arlington House was "raised as an issue, should a fire occur", according to the council.

The local authority said it was supporting the regulator's "enforcement action in respect of the hazards of fire and structural integrity".

A council inspection on 29 January found "progress had been made in respect of some hazards" but that "further improvements are required".

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