29th October 2026 – (London) Residents from three tower blocks at the Royal Gateway development in Canning Town were ordered to leave their homes in the early hours of Friday, 23rd October, after structural engineers identified an imminent risk to life associated with a transfer slab beneath the buildings. Newham Council said it was alerted late on Thursday by the London Fire Brigade and has since supported about 210 households from Centurion Tower, St Vincent Court and Sovereign Tower with emergency arrangements.
Prime Property Management, acting for the right‑to‑manage companies, said the concerns emerged during preparation of building safety cases and were confirmed by a site inspection on 21st October. The managing agent stressed that the decision to evacuate was not taken lightly and that enabling residents to return safely remains the priority. Some evacuees reported being told initially to secure accommodation using their own funds, compounding uncertainty over reimbursement and the duration of their displacement.
James Asser, Labour MP for West Ham and Beckton, said the roughly decade‑old development raises serious questions about how long the issue has persisted and where responsibility lies, calling for urgent answers for constituents. The council said relevant regulators and government bodies, including the Building Safety Regulator, had been notified and engaged on next steps while detailed engineering assessments proceed.
The affected buildings form part of the Royal Gateway scheme, where issues have been traced to transfer slabs under the three northern blocks. The development, approved in 2013 on the former Goswell Bakeries and Moss Electrical site in Caxton Street North, began construction in 2014 and completed towards the end of 2017. Studio Egret West was appointed to planning stage design, while technical design and construction were undertaken by the Tooley & Foster Partnership, which has since gone into liquidation.
