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Grenfell cladding was not risk assessed despite LFB warning
The exterior of Grenfell Tower was not fire risk assessed, despite a warning from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) “strongly urging” councils to do so two months before the deadly blaze.
Inside Housing has obtained a letter from the LFB which warned London’s social landlords to check “insulation… and in-fill panels” on the exterior of buildings to “secure public safety and minimise fire losses” sent in May this year.
The letter continued: “I would strongly urge that you consider this issue as part of the risk assessment process for premises under your control.”
But in a statement given to Inside Housing, CS Stokes Associates – the firm which risk assessed Grenfell Tower – said: “It is very important to stress that these assessments focused on the common parts of the building to the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, rather than the building’s refurbishment or structural changes.”
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At least 80 people are confirmed dead in the blaze, which tore across the outside of the 24-storey building in minutes. Tests by police later revealed both the cladding and the insulation, added in a refurbishment a year before, failed fire safety tests.
Cladding is not typically included in a fire risk assessment and the firm said the last risk assessment on Grenfell Tower was carried out in 2016, before the warning was issued.
CS Stokes and Associates, said it “is confident that its fire risk assessment work was carried out to the highest professional standards”, and also said it “liaised closely” with Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) over the refurbishment works. It clarified, however, that director Carl Stokes’ formal risk assessments did not address the works.
A spokesperson from KCTMO said: “All fire risk assessments are conducted in accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements. This means that [they] focus on communal areas such as stairwells, lift lobbies, lift shafts, risers and walkways etc, as confirmed by those undertaking these assessments.”
CS Stokes and Associates was described by the KCTMO board as offering the “most competitive price” of any applicant for the fire risk assessments contract and praised for being “willing to challenge the fire brigade… if he considered their requirements excessive”.
LFB issued the warning to landlords in May in a letter titled Tall Buildings – External Fire Spread. It followed Inside Housing securing research which showed a huge tower block fire in Shepherd’s Bush had spread due to external window panels.
The fire brigade did not make the warning public or issue it to councils outside the capital.
Additional reporting by Peter Apps
