Residents at The Mill flats in Ipswich waterfront to protest outside RSM’s Bury St Edmunds headquarters

Residents at a block of flats in Ipswich waterfront will protest outside the headquarters of a consultancy firm over concerns it failed in its duties as administrator.

The leaseholders’ association for The Mill, in Foundry Lane, will picket outside RSM UK’s offices in Dettingen Way, Bury St Edmunds, next Monday, July 10.

Residents raised concerns that cladding issues, which have been ongoing since 2013, have left them ‘prisoners in their own homes’.

The association reported the building was left unsafe after gale force winds caused damage and tore cladding from the tower – and more was removed after new regulations came in after the Grenfell tragedy.

Russell Quirk, a spokesman for The Mill Leaseholders Association, said: “The situation at The Mill is appalling.”

He said they had been made into cladding prisoners and had made attempts to secure an explanation from RSM.

“We’re sick of it and it’s time for proper action,” said Mr Quirk.

“We’re not going anywhere and we will not stop until justice is served and the shameful situation at The Mill has been fixed.”

The freehold for The Mill came under RSM when the original developer of the flats, City Living Developments, based in Ipswich, went into administration.

Mr Quirk said, since the exchange, the flats were ‘left to rot’ with little done to remedy structural issues.

He said many residents bought homes in the complex, thinking they’d bought into a top-quality development.

The Mill is located opposite Cardinal Lofts, owned by Railpen, which has also faced similar safety concerns in recent months.

Residents were first evacuated from Cardinal Lofts last November, although some residents remained. In March this year, a second prohibition notice was ordered.

One flat owner expressed his fears over the building’s safety – while a landlord detailed his struggle to survive due to the loss of income.

Recently, a large number of major defects were found at Cardinal Lofts, including cladding.

Mr Quirk felt the issues rendered the homes in The Mill ‘worthless’, with no mortgage provider willing to loan given safety concerns.

Mr Quirk said leaseholders were trapped, and have been for over a decade – and with the ongoing mortgage and cost of living crisis, the situation had become untenable and many leaseholders were in ‘truly desperate situations’.

With the strike, the association hoped to finally getting some kind of answer from the administrator, and increase national awareness of these issues.

“Leaseholders are living under the threat of fire and their mental health is being stripped bare because nobody is willing to take responsibility for this outrage. It’s time for it to stop,” Mr Quirk added.

A spokesman for RSM UK said the firm fully understood the concerns of residents at The Mill, and said they deserve clarity and certainty on when their homes would be fully repaired.

The safety of residents remains a key priority, they noted.

The spokesman added: “Since we were appointed to the site, we’ve worked hard to find ways to raise the necessary funds to rectify the issues affecting the property and continue to explore all options available to us.

“In the meantime, we will continue to prioritise the safety of the residents, working closely with the relevant authorities to mitigate the risk posed, and ensure the safety measures put in place by the Administrators continue to enable the residents to remain in occupation.”