The offices of the charity SMART have been abruptly closed by RBKC officers.

Staff at the charity were shocked to discover on Friday, 17th August that the gates to the premises at No.15 Gertrude Street had been padlocked.

This drastic and sudden action by the council has created some confusion, not least with Amelia Mustapha, the director of the charity that helps people suffering from mental illness.

Ms Mustapha had written on SMART’s website in June that she was expecting the charity to be moved by the council at some point in the future – due to essential building works – but she was aghast for it to happen whilst she and her staff were away on summer holiday.

She said: ‘We have long-standing issues caused by poor maintenance and planning, so we knew that works were needed. RBKC had started showing us alternative premises in 2023, but then those conversations stopped until June 2025 when we were told we had to move out by the end of that month. That was then extended to the end of July.

‘Our surveyor reviewed the building reports and agreed with the Council that we were safe to stay because most works could happen around us. I was under the impression that we would only have to move out for a month and that the move would be planned in advance to an assigned premises. Whilst I was away on leave the Council took the decision to close our premises immediately.’

SMART, which was established in 1985 and stands for St Mary Abbots Rehabilitation & Training, prides itself on helping vulnerable people on their “path to recovery” following mental illness. Ms Mustapha is now concerned the charity’s clients will be at risk if it is not readily available to help them.

 

A Council spokesperson said: ‘The space used by SMART at 15 Gertrude Street needs some refurbishment works. We have been working with the charity to find an alternative temporary base for their service and have maintained their access to the garden at Gertrude Street for their work. We hope SMART will be able to start to move into the new accommodation we have found in the next couple of weeks.’

RBKC offices explained that the premises has had an “unexplained water ingress” issue and that there is asbestos in the building that needs to be removed. Although the building had been declared safe, it is understood that water ingress can cause asbestos to move, which presents a danger.

Ms Mustapha said that SMART had not been served official notices to quit and that no risk or impact assessments had been done by the Council prior to the closure. She also says that she is currently still in the dark as regards a timeline for the works and where exactly SMART will now be based.

She added: ‘No new reports underpin RBKC’s actions, no work has been scheduled, the Health and Safety Executive have not been notified and no suitable alternative facilities have been provided, and RBKC have not maintained access to our garden – this is a space provided to us by the NHS.

‘A large number of vulnerable people rely on SMART’s service and no impact or risk assessment has been done. We are extremely worried about what will happen to them.

‘SMART should be celebrating its 40th anniversary. Instead, we are struggling to support the people we serve in whatever way we can. We ask local people to write to our MP, Ben Coleman, to ask for his assistance. The health and safety of our service users and staff is our priority and we are committed to working positively with the Council to quickly find a way forward. We need the Council to share that commitment to serve local, vulnerable people.’

UP-DATE – 12th September

Since this story was published and drew attention to the issue, the council has provided new premises for SMART on the World’s End Estate.

A spokesperson for RBKC said: ‘We have been holding talks with SMART about a move of premises and alternative accommodation since June 2025, when our inspector found water ingress and the presence of asbestos in the basement. While the asbestos is currently safe, we were concerned that water ingress can disturb it which could be a serious health risk. We therefore took the decision to close the basement of the building now and progress works. We know this is causing some short-term inconvenience to SMART, but our priority is to make the basement safe and protect people.

‘SMART have signed a lease on an alternative premises and moved in this week. We are continuing to support them to provide their services in other community locations too. While of course safety will always remain our top priority we will review the process to see if we can learn lessons for a smoother move, should a situation like this arise in the future.’

Amelia Mustapha issued this statement: ‘SMART finally has some interim administrative space at the World’s End Estate where we are able to offer people emotional support and provide practical advice and information on other services they can access. We have been provided with three weeks of funding to provide a drop-in at the Moravian Church, which ends next week.

‘Although we have had to close most services and social enterprises, which means the loss of some staff, we are determined that the charity will find a way forward. We are particularly hopeful about the potential to sell some of our garden produce at the World’s End market on a Fridays. We are waiting to hear back from the Council about whether they will continue to provide a Portaloo, so that we can carry on with our garden groups. Continued funding for a drop-in space would also make a huge difference to the welfare of the people we serve.

‘We have been sent a draft timetable of works to our building, which is with our surveyor. With his input, we are hopeful that the Council will revert to its original position – that much of the work can happen with us in situ and that we can quickly resume the services that support local, vulnerable people.’