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Government convenes expert forum on Ronan Point-style blocks
The government has convened a forum to provide expert advice to owners of tower blocks with a similar construction style to doomed east London tower block Ronan Point.
It comes as the Independent reports on research which suggests there are at least 575 of these ‘large panel system’ (LPS) tower blocks nationwide.
A number have been found to have structural issues and have been evacuated in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster, with some set to be demolished.
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LPS construction was popular in the 1960s and 1970s and involves effectively stacking blocks of solid concrete to construct a tower.
It became deeply controversial when a gas explosion at Ronan Point, in Newham, east London, triggered the collapse of one side of the building, killing four people.
A spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA) said: “The issues that building owners face with LPS buildings are complex technical ones.
“They require expert advice on what to do and the LGA is not placed to do that. We have therefore been pushing government to provide that advice. The [Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government] has now established a forum for owners of LPS buildings in order to exchange information on issues and share best practice.
“The first meeting of the forum took place last week. We assisted MHCLG in publicising the forum and in circulating previous messages it has issued.
“The LGA continues to monitor the position regarding these blocks.”
Southwark, Haringey and Rugby councils are among those to have experienced issues with LPS blocks in their stock in the months since Grenfell Tower.
