Joshua Forsdyke

Melanie Sarah Lee 
Assistant Coroner 
Inner North London St 
Pancras Coroner’s Court  
Camley Street  
London 
N1C 4PP  

Dear Ms Lee, 

03rd March 2025 

Thank you for your Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths dated 10th January about the 
death of Joshua Forsdyke. I am replying as the Managing Direct of Fresh Property Group with 
responsibility for Fresh Student Living. 

Firstly, I would like to say how saddened I was to read of the circumstances of Joshua’s death, 
and  I  offer  my  sincere  condolences  to  his  family  and  loved  ones.  The  circumstances  your 
report  describes  are  concerning  and  I  am  grateful  to  you  for  bringing  these  matters  to  my 
attention. 

I  understand  your  concern  about  him  being  exposed  to  drugs  while  in  student  halls  of 
residence. As a father of two, one being at second year of university this is a concern every 
parent shares.  I note that you have also addressed these matters of concern to the University 
of Arts London, and we liaise closely with them to ensure a smooth delivery and good tenant 
experience. 

We are contracted to the University of Arts London for the delivery of specific services in three 
of their halls of residence and are working with them on this specific matter.  Fresh Property 
Group separately to the University of Arts operate as a third-party manager on over fifty private 
student buildings across the country and have ~19,000 residents.  As a company we take anti-
social and illegal behaviour very seriously and this is evident in our policies, procedures and 
training  with  our  teams.      Unfortunately,  in  our  society  the  use  of  illegal  drugs  is  prevalent 
across all different social groups from professionals to students.  We operate amongst this 
challenge and when identified we report suspicious activity to the police and Universities. In 
the past in certain cities, we have entered into tri-party data sharing agreements as we look to 
work  with  police  to  root  out  any  residents  that  be  conducting  illegal  activities.    We  rely  on 
working with the local police and their prioritisation of resource; however, we have examples 
when the police support with tours of the properties and even the use of search dogs.    

Most of our residents are over the age of eighteen, meaning they are considered adults under 
the  law.  The  tenancy  agreements they  sign  give  them  the  same  rights  as  any  other  adults 
renting a property, regardless of age. This is their home, and as a management team, we are 
mindful of that. We always seek permission before entering and carry out periodic inspections 
of the living areas, ensuring everything is running smoothly.  

In  direct  response  to  your  Regulation  28  report,  we  are  doing  the  following  in  response  to 
reduce the likelihood of future deaths: 

1)  In conjunction with University of Arts 

a)  Review of room inspections to focus more on signs of illegal drug use. These visual 
inspections  are  completed  three  times  a  year  and  currently  focus  on  H&S  and 
compliance.  

12 Soho Square,  

London, W1D 3QF 

thisisfresh.com 

020 3617 4430 

Registered Company No: 07268209 

VAT No: 142 9205 28  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 b)  Drug awareness training has been part of the standard training suite already by UAL 

and Fresh teams. We will ensure this continues. 

c)  Whilst Joshua was not a resident in a Fresh managed hall of residence during his first 
or second year. During this period, there were no reports of drug dealing by any of our 
residents that we were made aware of or could have been acted upon.  I understand 
the inquest heard evidence that suggests a dealer was potentially operating from our 
halls, so we do take this report seriously. Fresh and UAL will ensure where concerns 
are raised, data is shared between Fresh and UAL teams, specifically the Out of Hours 
team and UAL and the overnight security cover at Fresh.  

d)  Fresh  does  not  hold  the  tenancies  with  residents  at  our  UAL  partnered  halls  of 
residence,  these  are  held  by  UAL,  and  all  induction  and  tenancy  information  are 
conveyed to students by the University. Fresh and UAL collaborate on an awareness 
campaign  to  make  it  explicit  to  students  where  to  report  signs  of  drug  misuse  and 
dealing at halls of residence.    

e)  A question will be added to the annual student survey asking students if they are aware 
of where to notify if they believe drug dealing is taking place in their halls of residence 

2)  Across Fresh Property Group 

a)  Where  overnight  contracted  security  is  present  at  Fresh  properties,  all  guards  hold 
valid SIA licences. This means Guards are trained in identifying drug misuse and signs 
of drug dealing.  Fresh ensure that all security assignment instructions with our security 
partners are reviewed annually.   

b)  Fresh currently has robust policies relating to drug dealing, and we take Zero tolerance 
approach  at  our  properties.  Fresh  will  continue  to  review  these  policies  and  refresh 
them.  

We believe properties managed by Fresh operate overall in a safe and compliant manner that 
gives students a home they can enjoy and feel safe within. We have been recognised in the 
sector for doing just that and it is our purpose that we continue to do so. 

I hope this response is helpful. Thank you for bringing these concerns to my attention. 

Yours Sincerely 

Managing Director 

12 Soho Square,  

London, W1D 3QF 

thisisfresh.com 

020 3617 4430 

Registered Company No: 07268209 

VAT No: 142 9205 28

Melanie Sarah Lee   
Assistant Coroner   
Inner North London   
St Pancras Coroner’s Court   
Camley Street   
London N1C 4PP  

6 March 2025 

Dear Ms Lee,  

Response to Prevention of Future Deaths Report  

I write on behalf of University of the Arts London in response to the Prevention of 
Future Deaths report dated 10 January 2025, related to the death of Joshua James 
David Forsdyke. My response summarises the actions we are taking in the operation 
of our halls of residence in respect of use and distribution of illegal drugs, with the 
aim of preventing future deaths. I am also submitting with this letter our detailed 
action plan.  

We recognise the challenges created by the ease with which students can obtain 
illegal drugs in London, through access to suppliers who deal drugs in 
the neighbourhoods where our halls are located and in external social environments, 
as well as through postal delivery of illegal drugs purchased through the dark web.  

We are committed to providing a safe, secure and supportive living environment for 
our students.  The plan details actions we are taking to enhance prevention, 
identification, awareness, support, monitoring, and enforcement, working with key 
partners, including the police and safer neighbourhood teams, health promotion 
organisations, purpose-built student accommodation providers and our student 
community.  

The key objectives of our action plan are to:  

•  Reduce the availability of illegal drugs in halls of residence by improving 

identification of drug dealing activity and delivery of drugs by parcel post and 
strengthening partnerships with the police and safer neighbourhood teams.  We 
want to reassure students and deter drug dealers and drug use.  

•  Raise awareness of the risks associated with drug and alcohol use and reduce 

misuse of drugs and alcohol.  

•  Enhance our monitoring, support and reporting systems within our halls of 
residence to identify and act on drug dealing and to assist students at risk, 
providing support for students struggling with substance misuse.  

•  Promote a culture of safety, security, responsibility and wellbeing through 
clear policies, regular training for staff and our communication with students.  

University of the Arts London 
272 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EY 

 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 •  Extend our approach to active listening by introducing questions about drugs 

and alcohol use in our Resident Satisfaction Survey, to better understand student 
concerns and take effective action based on their responses.  

I believe this response and the attached action plan provides the information 
requested. If you require further details, please contact me.  

Yours sincerely  

Dean of Students