Timber balconies on the five-storey Vantage Point flats in Waterstone Park, Stone, are to be replaced after a fire appraisal. The council approved it on 9 November.

The timber balconies on Vantage Point, a five-storey block of flats in Waterstone Park, Stone, are to be stripped out and rebuilt in materials that do not burn.

Dartford Borough Council granted planning permission for the work on Monday 9 November. (Dartford Borough Council planning register, 26/00987/FUL)

The application followed an independent fire appraisal of the building’s outside walls. It rated the timber balconies an “intolerable” risk under PAS 9980, the national standard for assessing the external walls of blocks of flats.

What the fire appraisal found

Vistry Group, the housebuilder, commissioned the appraisal from the fire engineers Joule Group. It is dated 24 September 2025. (Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls, Joule Group)

The building dates from about 2011. Its top floor is under 18 metres high. Most of the walls are brick and render, which the appraisal did not single out.

The problem is the steel-framed balconies on the south, east and west sides. They have timber decks and timber privacy panels between them. The appraisal found:

  • the balconies are stacked directly above one another, linked by the timber panels
  • there is no fire protection on their undersides
  • residents use the large balconies for storage, which adds fuel
  • together, these could let a fire spread quickly between floors

The overall rating for the building was “medium and intolerable”. The appraisal says remedial work is needed to bring the risk down to a tolerable level.

Until then, it recommended three interim measures:

  • storage units to be removed from all balconies
  • residents to be told not to store large items on them
  • residents to be told barbecues on balconies are not allowed

What will be done

The contractor is Next-Gen Facades Ltd, which made the application. Its method statement sets out the work. (Outline method statement, Next-Gen Facades)

  • scaffolding goes up on the south, east and west sides
  • the timber decking and dividers come off
  • the decks on floors one to four are replaced with aluminium decking
  • the dividers from the ground floor to the fourth floor are replaced with Rockpanel boards on an aluminium frame
  • cavity barriers and fire-stopping are fitted

The new materials are rated A2-s1-d0, the second-highest fire class. They will be anthracite grey to match the windows.

The council’s planning officer found the new balconies would look much as they do now. Stone Parish Council and the council’s building control officer made no comment, and no neighbours objected. (Delegated report, 26/00987/FUL)

The method statement says the aim is for the building to get an EWS1 rating of B1 once the work is done. No EWS1 form has been issued for it so far. Lenders often ask for an EWS1 form before they will offer a mortgage on a flat.

When

The contractor’s programme was written before permission was granted. It planned eleven weeks on site, ending with handover between 14 and 18 December 2026, before Christmas. It calls those dates indicative, depending on permission, design sign-off and delivery of materials.

The permission itself allows three years for the work to start.

What it means for you

If you live in Vantage Point, expect scaffolding on three sides of the block. The method statement says the building stays occupied throughout and the work is sequenced to keep disruption to residents down. The scaffold design allows for footings in the residents’ car park.

If your balcony holds storage units or a barbecue, the appraisal’s advice is that they should go now, not when the work finishes. Check with your managing agent what has been asked of residents.

If you own your flat on a lease, check whether you are a qualifying leaseholder. Under the Building Safety Act 2022, qualifying leaseholders in buildings of at least 11 metres or five storeys have legal protection from the cost of fixing historical safety defects. Vantage Point has five storeys. The guidance sets out which costs are covered. (GOV.UK, Building safety leaseholder protections: guidance for leaseholders)

The appraisal, drawings and decision notice are on the council’s planning register.