BBC investigation finds major flaws in £41m estate’s balconies

Bouygues UK received £41.5m to build the estate.

The multinational company with a UK wing is ranked in the top five construction firms in terms of value of their projects over the last 12 months in the UK, with a total of £1.5bn in contracts, according to Glenigans, a construction intelligence firm.

In response to the BBC investigation, Bouygues UK said that safety in its buildings was its number one priority.

It added that the design and materials were carefully considered by their professional consultants and the approving authorities.

It also confirmed the balconies on the estate were prefabricated offsite by a subcontractor and “the materials used may not be those that were specified in the design. We take this extremely seriously”.

The firm has apologised for the incident and the distress it has caused to residents.

While the balcony design was unique to this development, Bouygues UK has declined to confirm how many other balconies are actively being investigated for similar problems with similarly flawed materials.

The firm also said it was continuing to investigate and remediation work was under way.