Hillingdon Council is addressing fire safety concerns at the Union Park Estate on Packet Boat Lane in Cowley, following a fire risk assessment that identified urgent building safety concerns due to inadequate fire detection systems. The issue was raised during a council meeting on Thursday, 11 September 2025, as detailed in the Public Reports Pack.
Councillor Ekta Gohil, Deputy Chief Whip (Conservative), questioned Councillor Steve Tuckwell, Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing & Growth, about the practical steps the council has been taking, alongside government, the London Fire Brigade, and the freeholder, to address the building safety issues at Union Park.
Daniel O'Neill of Ashburton Road, Ruislip, also questioned Councillor Jonathan Bianco, Deputy Leader of the Council & Cabinet Member for Corporate Services & Property, about the fire safety concerns. His questions included how the borough came to have thirteen residential units on a new development with such safety concerns, what the Walking Watch entails, how its contract was awarded, what the day-to-day situation is for the residents on the estate, the future plan to ensure the buildings are made safe, when that might be and how the cost will be borne.
The July Cabinet meeting was informed of a particularly damning
fire risk assessment which identified urgent building safety concerns from inadequate fire detection systems at the Union Park Estate on Packet Boat Lane.
Consequently, Cabinet approved funding for a 'Walking Watch' at £4200 per day for six weeks, a measure deemed more cost-effective than the alternative of rehousing 250 households.