Residents have hit out at a property company, claiming they are living in ‘squalor’, in a block of flats where they are surrounded by sewage, bikes are stolen and parents don’t feel safe to let their children outside.
Five years ago plans were announced to convert the former home of Britain’s mapmakers Ordnance Survey into modern accommodation.
Compass Point, in Southampton – where two-bedroom flats cost more than £200,000 – has now left residents furious with their living conditions.
Water gushed out of pipes in a recent flood, and ‘raw sewage’ leaked into the car park entrance for four days last month, forcing vehicles entering and exiting to drive under the leak.
One resident says she doesn’t let her two-year-old son go outside at the property, and has to carry him to and from her car because of the sewage issues and ‘broken glass’ on the ground.
Mould and loose wires can be seen across Compass Point, and residents have reported car tyres being burst by stray bits of metal, and bikes being stolen.
The situation at the former Ordnance Survey headquarters has been branded ‘wholly unacceptable’ by an MP in the House of Commons.
Satvir Kaur spoke on behalf of residents in her constituency of Southampton Test, Hampshire, when she told parliament that the site is ‘unsafe’.
Dan Harker with his children outside his flat in the building, he lived in a wheelchair and felt ‘trapped’ in his flat
Rubbish said to have been dumped by contractors in the bike shed of the building
Mould and loose wires can be seen across rooms and hallways at Compass Point
Water gushed out of pipes in a recent flood, and ‘raw sewage’ leaked into the car park entrance
The outside of Compass Point in Southampton, which was formerly the home of Ordnance Survey
BMR Compass Ltd, which owns the property, said it was ‘deeply disappointing to learn of these issues’.
Sydney Hendrickx, who can’t let her toddler outside at Compass Point, said that ‘nobody cares’.
The 30-year-old paid £210,000 for a two-bedroom flat on the ground floor in February 2022.
Mrs Hendrickx said: ‘Nobody cares about us, we send emails and now we get no reply.
‘It’s no secret how much we paid and it’s upsetting that we get no support at all.’
This flat, which she shares with her husband and son, is the first property Mrs Hendrickx has ever purchased.
She said: ‘This is our first purchase and it’s been worse than renting.
Sewage leaked into the car park after a van knocked a waste pipe last month – the second sewage leakage incident which the property has experienced.
Resident Sydney Hendrickx in the bike shed at Compass Point in Southampton
The entrance to Compass Point in Southampton where residents have complained about the conditions
The gloomy looking Compass point in Southampton, where residents say they are living in ‘squalor’
After the second incident, Mrs Hendrickx said: ‘The sewage was literally pouring into the street, literally at the main entrance.’
Plumbers sent by BMR Compass repaired the pipe on the fourth day of the leak, and a cleaning firm addressed the waste to ensure the area was fully cleared on the same day.
Mrs Hendrickx continued: ‘There’s broken glass, rusty street signs anywhere.
‘There’s no lights and it gets so dark so early now. You add raw sewage to the mix and we’re just constantly carrying [my son] to and from the car.’
Mrs Hendrickx said that a fire inspection has recently been carried out on the building, and while the findings have not yet been shared, she believes that the inspector is not happy with the property.
She added: ‘Nobody has accountability.’
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said it has sent firefighters to investigate the property and it is taking concerns – including about a fire panel not working – ‘very seriously’.
Resident Amanda Bertham called the building a ‘s*** tip’.
She said: ‘Quite a lot of people have had tyres popped because of lots of metal screws and stuff.’
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, was able to fill a Burger King soft drink cup with pieces of metal they found in the car park.
Mrs Bertham, a personnel and logistics manager, added: ‘We’ve had bikes nicked.
‘I want to bring my bike, I’ve got expensive kit, I don’t believe in buying crap.
‘But I can’t use it because I’ve got to keep it stored somewhere else.’
The 43-year-old thinks that people who came in to repair the building have caused more problems.
She said: ‘They came to fix something, and the next day the pipe burst.
‘The pipes make a noise, at night it’s awful when you’re trying to sleep.’
The bike shed at Compass point, which currently does not have a door or a lock
Amanda Bertham said she cannot bring her bike home because it is at risk of being stolen
Rubbish said to have been dumped by contractors in the bike shed at Compass Point
Rod McDonald moved into Compass Point in October 2023 because the building advertised lifts, and his partner has a disability.
He is happy with the internal state of his flat, but is kept up most nights by loud noises in the water pipes whenever anyone in his block runs their taps.
He said BMR Compass did try to repair the pipework, but a major flood occurred on the ground floor, creating puddles across the carpets.
Since this flood, which happened in August of this year, the building’s basement has been covered in mould.
A lift has also been out of order since the flooding.
Mr McDonald calls the condition of the building ‘ridiculous’.
Dan Harker, who was in a wheelchair for the first year he lived at Compass Point, said that he feels ‘trapped’.
A ‘bump’ in the accessible entrances at the block caused problems for Mr Harker when getting in and out of the property.
Resident Rod McDonald said he is kept up most nights by loud noises in the water pipes whenever anyone in his block runs their taps
The rooftop of the building which does not drain water causing leaks and flooding
Mould in the basement that flooded in August, which residents said caused them to be surrounded by sewage
He said: ‘Nobody in a wheelchair would be able to pull themselves over that.’
Mr Harker paid £210,000 for a two-bedroom flat in the building in February 2023.
He continued: ‘It’s not what we paid for – I absolutely feel trapped.’
Ms Kaur raised the resident’s issues in parliament, speaking after the first ‘raw sewage’ leak which occurred in the bike storage area, which should have been a play area.
She said: ‘Residents of Compass Point in my constituency are living in squalor.
‘Water from the roof is being directed to the basement, causing regular flooding; loose pipework and wires are making the site unsafe; and raw sewage is seeping into the children’s play area.
‘Does the Leader of the House agree that that is wholly unacceptable and that more needs to be done to hold to account freeholders such as BMR, their subcontractors, and lettings agents such as Leaders?
‘Will she join me in requesting that they act swiftly and without delay to resolve the many, many issues that have been raised but not responded to?’
Mould on the walls next to an empty bucket of paint in the basement after it flooded in August
An outdoor area that residents at Compass Point have created using items dumped
Items said to have been left by contractors in a boiler room at Compass Point
Property management company KMP Solutions, which used to manage the block, said it valiantly tried to carry out its duties.
Primanage Ltd has been appointed as management, though they were not in charge of the building at the time of the second sewage leak.
On the first sewage leakage problem, BMR Compass said that this was addressed immediately.
The company claims it was unaware of a commitment to provide secure bike sheds, but it is looking into providing this as a gesture of good faith.
On the flooding, it said that carpets were fully replaced in flats ‘where necessary’, but did not comment on carpets in communal areas.
BMR Compass added that the broken lift will be repaired as soon as the required part arrives.
It said that the bump Mr Harker complained about prevents water ‘ingress into the building’, but is exploring options to improve access.
BMR Compass said that they have been making progress since November, including securing loose lamps on the side of the building and addressing other concerns raised by residents.
Bernard Margulies from BMR Compass said: ‘We remain committed to ensuring that the property is maintained to the highest standards, and we are confident that with the new management in place and my team focused on this project, we will meet the expectations of both leaseholders and tenants.’
Southampton City Council has been contacted for comment.
A spokesperson for the fire service said: ‘We have visited the property to investigate, and we will continue to work with the responsible person to ensure any fire safety issues are addressed.’