Rogers faces £5m writ over troubled Oxley Woods

Volume housebuilder Taylor Wimpey has lodged a £5m legal claim against architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and offsite fabrication compay Coxbench (formerly Wood Newton), over technical problems with the multi-award winning Oxley Woods housing scheme in Milton Keynes. 

But RSHP has promised to “vigorously” defend itself against the claim, issued last week in the High Court’s Technology and Construction branch, according to a report in The Architects’ Journal.  

The writ alleges possible breach of contract, duty of care, statutory duty and possible negligence on the part of the firms ‘in relation to the design and construction of the development’.  

The 122-home Oxley Woods development was one of the most radical winners of the Labour government’s Design for Manufacture competition, launched in 2005, which subsequently won the 2008 RIBA Manser Medal.  

However, a catalogue of issues have emerged since its completion in 2007, including its signature Trespa cladding panels coming loose, double glazing failures and water ingress, causing rot to supporting timbers, balconies, roofs, window junctions and the boarding and frame behind the cladding.  

The homes are currently undergoing remedial works, including roof and window replacements, as part of a phased programme undertaken by Taylor Wimpey and overseen by insurer the NHBC.  

A spokesman for Taylor Wimpey said: “It is our view that the issues have been caused by a combination of various design features unique to this scheme and the poor performance of contractors in the design and construction process.”  

The NHBC said it was working with all 122 homeowners and had now received 19 individual insurance claims from residents.  

Its chief executive, Mike Quinton, said: “NHBC is wholly committed to working with both the homeowners and Taylor Wimpey to ensure that the issues at Oxley Woods are resolved as quickly as possible with a comp rehensive remedial programme.”  

A blog post written in May by a representative of the local residents’ group, following publicity of the schemes’ problems in the Architect’s Journal and national newspapers, described the residents’ frustration with Taylor Wimpey and NHBC.  

The blog said: “It is our belief that while Taylor Wimpey have, after all these years, finally admitted to site-wide problems of water ingress it has clearly taken far too long for them to take matters to task. We also believe that the threat of dry and wet rot across the estate is an extremely serious matter and that Taylor Wimpey should have disclosed this at a much earlier stage, and addressed residents concerns.”  

The blog also questioned the effectiveness of the NHBC’s survey designed to check the quality of the homes, insured under its 10-year Buildmark warranty.  

It also emerged last week that Taylor Wimpey’s planning appeal to build a more traditional second phase of Oxley Woods has been rejected by the planning inspector, Michael Boniface.  

Boniface said the proposed 26-home scheme would “harm the character of the immediate area” and would be in “stark contrast” to RSHP’s existing development.