World's End Estate's £20m repair plan puts new lifts on site in 2028 and roofs, kitchens and bathrooms from March 2028. Leaseholder bills are not yet known.
Residents of the World’s End Estate in Chelsea face more than another year with lifts the council calls “unreliable and difficult to maintain and repair”. Work to replace them is not due to start on site until 2028.
The timetable is in a report by the council’s Director of Housing Management to the Housing and Communities Select Committee, which meets on Monday 19 October. It sets out about £20 million of planned work on the estate, money already set aside in the council’s housing budget.
What the £20 million pays for
The biggest part is a £16.5 million building fabric programme. It is due to start on site in March 2028 and finish in March 2029. It includes:
- new roofs and waterproofing on the towers and walkways
- repairs to drains, gutters and soil stacks
- window servicing, with replacements where needed
- concrete and masonry repairs
- redecoration of communal areas and outside painted surfaces
- repairs to walkways and stairs, with anti-slip finishes
- refurbished lobbies and lift lobbies
- new kitchens and bathrooms for tenants whose fittings are past their life
- fire safety inspections, with new front doors where required
The report uses 20 years as the life of a kitchen and 30 for a bathroom. A survey of each home confirms whether it qualifies. The report limits kitchen and bathroom replacement to tenanted homes.
The other items are:
| Work | Cost | When |
|---|---|---|
| New lifts across the estate | £3.8m | On site 2028 |
| Fire alarm upgrades, 7 towers | £322,721 | Installation from 2027 |
| Communal and emergency lighting, 7 buildings | £199,623 | April 2026 to March 2027 |
Why the lifts take so long
The council has split the lifts out of the main programme because outages hit residents hard. Even so, the report’s timeline runs to 2028:
- procurement strategy approved in September 2026
- a mini-competition through a contractors’ framework this month, with tenders in November
- contract award in January 2027, and the contractor on site to plan from February 2027
- about 40 weeks for Building Safety Regulator approval and pre-construction work
- lift replacement starting on site in 2028
The dates in the report do not all agree. Its timeline table puts the start of lift works in May 2028; the text beneath it says February 2028. The table also lists the award report as December 2027, after the January 2027 contract award it would approve.
Until a contractor is appointed, the council’s repairs team will keep responding to breakdowns.
What leaseholders will pay
Leaseholders do not yet know their share of the main works or the lifts. The council says it has not finished tendering either, and will send formal Section 20 notices with estimates once it has firm costs.
Some leaseholders have already had a Section 20 notice for the lighting work. The report gives an example: about £390 for a two-bedroom home.
The report flags a bigger worry on heating. The estate is on a communal heat network. Since 27 January 2026 those networks have been regulated by Ofgem, and the rules say everyone should be billed only for the energy they use.
The council says the existing system at World’s End is too old to support individual billing. Upgrading it “will not be easy” and is likely to need “significant investment”. The report says this “is an area of concern for many leaseholders, as the work needed would generate significant leaseholder recharges”. Feasibility and condition surveys are under way, and no figure is given.
What residents have been told so far
The programme has been in development since 2022. The report lists engagement including a feedback exercise in July 2023, a consultation event at Chelsea Theatre in February 2025 and another at Ashburnham Community School in June 2025. A question-and-answer document went to the World’s End Residents’ Association in July 2026 for review.
The report says residents most affected will get tailored support, “including respite and decant options”.
What it means for you
- The meeting is the Housing and Communities Select Committee at 6.30pm on Monday 19 October. The agenda and reports are on the council’s website. The committee can make comments or recommendations to the Leadership Team; it does not approve the spending.
- If you are a tenant, a survey will decide whether your kitchen or bathroom is replaced. Fabric works are not due until March 2028.
- If you are a leaseholder, watch for Section 20 notices. They give you the estimated cost and a chance to comment on it.
- Lift breakdowns should still be reported to the council’s repairs service in the meantime.
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