You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Short on time? Monday’s housing news in five minutes
A round-up of the top stories this morning from Inside Housing and elsewhere
Top story: Bolton student accommodation involved in fire clad with HPL, planning documents say
A student housing block which was involved in a huge fire on Friday night was clad with high-pressure laminate (HPL) cladding, planning documents say.
The fire brigade has not yet officially confirmed the materials but it is widely reported that HPL was used.
HPL has been in the spotlight since Grenfell and is being removed from many private and social housing blocks. However the government has consistently refused to fund its removal.
All the students in the block, which was below 18m and therefore not subject to the government’s combustibles ban, have been accounted for.
At its height, 200 fire fighters and 40 fire engines were attending the blaze.
Leaseholders fear missing out on £200m cladding fund as deadline approaches
Leaseholders living in blocks seeking government funding for the removal of Grenfell-style cladding have raised concerns over meeting the deadline for applications, while criticising the lengthy process being run by the government.
Pressure to collect state-aid forms in particular is delaying the process of applying - with only one of 86 blocks in scope for funding having reached pre-contract approval.
The removal of cladding from private-sector homes has been tortuously slow - with just 15 of 184 identified buildings completing the vital work.
Lunchtime long read
Inside Housing will be running a weekly election blog to keep our readers up to speed with the housing elements of the race for Number 10.
We opened the series on Friday with a look at where the parties are likely to stand on housing issues.
Quote of the day
“For starters, how many of the new homes delivered in the last few years are in blocks with flammable cladding that have left residents living in fear and leaseholders unable to remortgage or sell their homes?”
Inside Housing’s columnist Jules Birch cautions against over optimism about rising house building, considering the slow pace of cladding remediation and soaring temporary accommodation costs.
In the papers
Picture: Getty
There are various stories about the fire in Bolton across the media but The Guardian and The FT have afforded the fire the most detailed coverage. The Guardian story picks up on longstanding frustration from Manchester-based residents of other blocks that the government has declined to fund the removal of high-pressure laminate cladding.
Also in The Guardian, Kensington MP Emma Dent-Coad has said she will report her rival to the police over claims he made that she was involved in discussions about cladding Grenfell Tower. Inside Housing reported last week that she was considering taking action.
In The Telegraph Tony Pidgeley, founder of house builder Berkeley Group, has backed a reform of planning laws, proposed by Shelter and supported by the National Housing Federation, to remove 'planning gain' from developers who buy land and then see its value rise when planning permission is granted
From across the pond, the BBC has a story about tech giants funding house building.
