The RA met for a regular six-weekly meeting with Savills to discuss ongoing issues on the 16th September.
Below is a summary of the discussion and topics covered.
Electric vehicle charging in the underground carparks
Savills is working with Lendlease and ChargePoint to upgrade the electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the underground carpark. Savills are waiting for the pod design to be finalised with quotations for the work to follow, but this has been slightly delayed.
This will feature a new slimline design that is future-proofed for future charging demands.
The RA has asked for clarity on how much will be charged back to residents as there has been some discussion of Lendlease (the landlord) covering the costs of the upgrade.
Pest control and pigeons
Savills have been working with contractor CleanKill to manage the pest control (rat) issues reported by residents across the development.
CleanKill have been on site recently to carry out a routine inspection and no further sightings were identified. Routine inspections will continue but Savills believe this issue has been managed for now.
On the 28th August CleanKill came to the development with two birds of prey to tackle ongoing pigeon issues, particularly where they are invading residents’ balconies.
Savills have received a quote for regular/routine bird of prey site visits across the entirety of Elephant Park and are in the process of finalising how these costs will be split across the estate. The quote is for the entire estate is approximately £36,000 per year, with around £4,000 allocated to South Gardens (or £1,000 per quarter.)
Gym upgrades
There has been a slight delay in replacing the stolen dumbbells due to an expired insurance policy with Savill’s procurement provider that has now been rectified. These should arrive within w/c 15th September.
Other upgrades to the gym include redecorating and installing air conditioning as well as the installation of CCTV equipment. Quotes for air conditioning installation have come back whilst Savills are still waiting on final quotes for CCTV. Redecoration will occur once both CCTV and aircon are installed.
Redecorating the gym will take five days and Savills expect it to happen towards the end of the month with discussions ongoing about access for residents to the gym at Westgrove or Park & Sayer.
Savills will look at whether this will be funded through the reserve fund or as a one-off cost to the service charge.
Balcony cold bridging issues
Savills are managing ongoing claims around cold bridging issues on balconies. These are a warranty/NHBC issue and out of the direct control of Savills but they are facilitating and collating enquiries.
It is up to NHBC to decide if there is a defect with the way the buildings and balconies were built and what remedial action can or should occur.
2025-2026 budget packs
The RA acknowledged that both full owners and shared owners have now received budget packs but have requested more detail and context for the variance between blocks and clearer communication going forward.
Historic service charge accounts
Outstanding accounts include the years ending June 2022, June 2023, June 2024 and June 2025.
Savills have now received the last remaining historic accounts from First Port, the previous managing agents. This allows Savills to complete the balancing charges and means they can now issue the physical accounts.
Savills have not yet provided a date for when these will be issued but are confident all four historic accounts will be issued at the same time.
Pink benches outside Baldwin Point
These have now been reduced/removed following noise complaints from residents.
The RA also raised concerns around the reuse of pink planters and furniture from the Sayer Street pop-up that have been reused around Elephant Park but do not fit the park’s design.
48 Rodney Road refurbishment
Refurbishment of the ground floor unit of 48 Rodney Road following a forced police entry in 2023 continues.
It continues to be a challenge sourcing a single replacement door (rather than bulk order) although Savills says it has had reassurance from two new contractors that they can source the correct door from Cotswolds Doors. Savills is waiting on the final specification of the door as well as costs involved.
Update to Dwellant 2.0
Savills are having weekly call to upgrade the Dwellant residents’ portal across Elephant Park. Savills have seen a demo and have supplied updated photos for the new site.
Parcel Safe system
Savills says it continues to have teething issues with some couriers, with Amazon and Royal Mail the prime culprits. Aimee and the account manager at Parcel Safe continue to have conversations with couriers to encourage compliance.
Fire door survey
Savills have had the initial report from the fire door survey taken from all flat front doors in the development earlier this year. Savills will conduct an initial review of this document w/c 15th September and then addressing any failures mentioned and recommendations raised.
Any residents whose door failed the survey will receive an initial letter informing them of the result and any remedial work required. Savills is investigating whether they can work with a contractor to offer residents a reduced bulk rate to fix issues, but this is not something Savills has done before.
Communal roof garden tap
The two pumps that supply water to the roof garden taps have failed. These will be replaced with a four week timeline, with completion currently expected around the second week of October.
Wansey Street border garden
The RA raised the issue of the gardens under the trees along the Wansey Street Townhouses have been looking a bit forlorn in recent years. The hedging was removed some years ago due to insufficient irrigation and since then a lot of the planting has died/been trampled as people walk across the beds.
Savills is aware of this but has said they haven’t had the money for this recently. They are working with Willoughby’s, the landscaping contractor, what can be done and at what cost.
South Gardens Residents' Association 