Noise, vibration, dirt, dust, scaffolding, parking spaces taken up with skips and trucks and equipment, increased traffic congestion; the upheaval of extensive periods of construction, refurbishment and remedial works on your block can be invasive and stressful, bringing with it disruption, frustration and misery. Often for months at a time.
While there are no laws precluding it and it’s broadly accepted that general repair and remedial work is necessary, if it’s not managed correctly, what was a positive improvement can quickly become a nightmare.
To a certain extent people accept that there’s going to be some dirt and noise, and one or two disruptions. The problems arise when residents and block managers don’t know what’s going on or how long the work is going to last.
While most contractors are making efforts towards social responsibility and have a policy of some sort in place which explains how they’re environmentally responsible and socially aware they are, not many consider it to be something which could make their job easier and enhance their standing.
Getting the local community ‘on-side’ before a hi-vis jacket appears is a must. That means preparing, implementing and monitoring any block refurbishment scheme and ensuring that it is completed within an appropriate period of time. It also means taking appropriate care to keep any disruption to a reasonable minimum.
Leaseholders and their tenants might have legitimate concerns such as excessive noise and vibration; disruption to parking traffic; working outside of permitted hours; the spread of dust, debris and smoke, damage to local property and the environment; and trespassing.
“It’s vital to keep those affected informed at all times”, says Jamie Godman, Director of London-based contractor A S Ramsay “The contractor must take these into consideration at every stage. Ignore these complaints and property managers, freeholders and contractors could face angry residents and irreversible damage to their reputation”.
“Two years ago we decided to take a proactive approach, introducing our Red Scheme, a quality assurance scheme which keeps everyone up-to-date with what we’re doing, how long it’s likely to take, what we’ve completed so far, what remains to be done, and what impact our presence is having on those in the locality.”
Every fortnight, the company’s Quality Assurance Manager will visit the site and compiles a report which provides property managers and freeholders with the latest information including the progress that has been made and the work that is planned over the following two weeks. This can help them to manage expectation and minimise any frustrations.
“Opening channels of communication with residents in such a transparent way has actually benefitted the company. With such regular reporting, we’re not only aware of what element might be frustrating residents, we can also measure and monitor our activities and make informed decisions about the project while work is in progress”.
“For a disgruntled resident, there’s nothing worse than a hi-vis, hard-hat clad man looking blankly at them and shrugging. The fact that the work and report receives continuous director-level input gives residents peace of mind that we take their concerns and our overall social responsibility very seriously. After all, an informed public is a happier public.
Ashley Irving-Wilkinson, Contracts Manager at A S Ramsay
