After months of complaints, a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system at Holborough House in Colindale Gardens was finally switched off following intervention from Barnet Council but residents tell Leïla Davaud they want assurances it will be permanently fixed

A block of flats with orange/brown brick work, viewed from the ground up — Holborough House – (Credit – Rebecca Villa)

“You could feel it through the walls, through the bed. You could even hear glasses in the cupboard, shaking.”

Rebecca Villa moved into her apartment at Holborough House in Colindale Gardens in 2021. At first glance, her home seems peaceful and comfortable. Then an engine-like noise hums in the background. She holds her phone and reveals a video sent by one of her neighbours. It was recorded in September 2025, she explains, when the Combined Heat and Power unit (CHP) was turned on. “Four years of peace and quiet turned into anxiety and sleep deprivation”, she recalls.

“Technically, you could turn up the volume on the TV or wear earplugs if you were sensitive”, she explains. “But as soon as you were in contact with a surface, you could feel it. The building was making the noise. If you sat down on your couch, put your hand on the window, or even just have your feet touching the floor, you would feel vibrations”, she details. “From 7 am to 11 pm, you couldn’t catch a break.”

Living on the second floor of the building, Rebecca explains that she is not the only resident affected. “We have a group chat with 17 members, all impacted by the CHP situated on the ground floor. We shared recordings and videos of how it affected us. One resident had to move his bedroom into his living room as it is further away from the unit.”

According to Rebecca, the CHP was briefly switched on in 2021 before being turned off following noise complaints. When it restarted years later, she took matters into her own hands. “I contacted Peabody, our landlord, but I was told it was not their responsibility because they do not have access to the CHP.”

She then contacted Metropolitan, which operates the unit. “They said acoustic tests had been carried out and passed, and that there is nothing wrong with the equipment. If there are vibrations, we are told that it falls under Redrow’s responsibility as the developer of the building.”

Frustrated by what she describes as responsibility being passed between organisations, Rebecca contacted Barnet Council, which she says reacted promptly.

“Officers came on the 18th of December and literally lay on the floor in my flat to feel the vibrations”, she recalls. “They also visited several neighbours and eventually recognised the impact of the CHP and told us it met the threshold for statutory nuisance. After that, the unit was turned off.”

The shutdown brings relief, but not closure. “I had to stay at my dad’s for a few days just to catch up on sleep”, she explains. “I was chased out of my own home. We pay for the maintenance of the very CHP that disrupted our lives for months. We want assurances this will not happen again and we believe we should be compensated for what we went through.”

More recently, residents received correspondence from Metropolitan confirming the council’s involvement and stating that Barnet Council would have taken legal action had the CHP remained operational.

A Barnet Council spokesperson told Barnet Post: “We are committed to addressing residents’ concerns and have been investigating complaints raised by residents. Our Environmental Health team has gathered evidence and consulted with Metropolitan, Redrow, and Peabody, as well as Barnet’s Building Control and Planning Enforcement teams. Following this, the Combined Heat and Power system was switched off while mitigation works, scheduled for January 2026, were developed.

“Since then, the responsible parties have been carrying out further tests and finalising their remediation plans. We remain in regular contact with them to monitor progress and ensure that the agreed corrective measures are implemented without delay.

“We will continue to review and assess the effectiveness of any corrective measures as they are introduced. We will keep residents updated as further information becomes available.”

The correspondence from Metropolitan also states that “the developer of the building is responsible for completing the necessary remedial works”. Contacted by Barnet Post, a spokesperson for Redrow said: “We are sorry for the noise complaints from the energy centre at Colindale Gardens and are working closely with Barnet Council and our acoustic consultants to resolve the issue.

“Following a joint inspection, a programme of works is being agreed and we will advise residents on its timings as soon as possible.”

Despite the system being switched off and the situation being handled, Rebecca says residents remain concerned about a possible restart and “won’t stop fighting”.

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