Borough takes urgent legal advice over cladding used on five of its tower blocks
The London Borough of Camden has said it is taking urgent legal advice after testing of cladding on five of its tower blocks suggested that some of the panels that were fitted were not to the standard that the council had commissioned.
Camden commissioned the independent testing of cladding on blocks on the Chalcots Estate in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. It was carried out by the laboratory at the Building Research Establishment.
Cllr Georgia Gould, Leader of the council, said: “The arrangement of the cladding and insulation used on Camden Council’s buildings significantly differs from that on Grenfell Tower. It includes fire-resistant rock wool insulation designed to prevent the spread of fire and fire resistant sealant between floors, designed to stop a high-intensity flat fire from spreading to neighbouring flats. This arrangement previously contained a fire at a flat in Taplow block in 2012. These are significant and proven arrangements to stop the spread of fire.
“The new results from the laboratory show that the outer cladding panels themselves are made up of aluminium panels with a polyethylene core.
“Therefore the panels that were fitted were not to the standard that we had commissioned. In light of this, we will be informing the contractor that we will be taking urgent legal advice.”
Cllr Gould added: “Whilst we are clear that our cladding design and insulation significantly differs to that at Grenfell Tower, the external cladding panels did not satisfy our independent laboratory testing or the high standards we set for contractors. Camden Council has decided it will immediately begin preparing to remove these external cladding panels from the five tower blocks on the Chalcots Estate. Camden Council will do whatever it takes to ensure our residents are reassured about the safety of their homes.”
Camden’s Leader said that until the panels have all been removed, the council would carry out 24/7 fire safety patrols on the estate’s corridors to reassure residents and carry out enhanced fire safety checks. This additional assessment work will include a sweep of corridors to make sure they are clear of obstructions and anything that is potentially flammable. Further work will including tests of white goods (PAT testing), assessments of fire doors in properties and the provision of fire safety advice to residents.
“We are working side-by-side with our housing groups and the London Fire Brigade and we remain ready to respond to any changes to national fire safety advice,” Cllr Gould said.
“We stand ready to fully support any national investigation into materials, building standards and safety regulations. It’s vital for all of London’s residents who live in high-rise buildings, that we learn from investigations into what caused and exacerbated the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower.”
