You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
NHF tells housing associations not to wait for tests before removing non-ACM cladding
Social landlords should take action on potentially dangerous cladding “as soon as possible” and not wait for long-delayed government tests, the National Housing Federation (NHF) has said.
The NHF was responding to revelations from Inside Housing that the social landlords of 24 high-rise blocks are waiting for results from government tests before removing high-pressure laminate (HPL) cladding from them.
HPL is not the same as aluminium composite material (ACM), which was used on Grenfell Tower. It has, however, been widely blamed for the deadly Lakanal House fire in Southwark, which killed six people in 2009.
It burns 115 times hotter than non-combustible products and one academic has predicted that the next Grenfell-style disaster will be in an HPL-clad tower.
READ MORE
However, the government has yet to take a decision on whether it should be removed from high-rise blocks.
Inside Housing has repeatedly asked government why it has not tested non-ACM cladding since summer 2017, when it had already received numerous non-ACM samples from social landlords.
Bespoke tests on some non-ACM cladding began in April and results are expected in late summer. The government is also planning a large-scale test for HPL but has yet to set a date for it.
Victoria Moffett, Grenfell programme lead at the NHF, said: “We’re encouraging housing associations not to wait for more information and to take action on HPL cladding as soon as possible.”
She added: “Removing and replacing cladding is not a simple job. For some buildings it is a structural part of the building and constitutes a serious programme of work.
“Over the past two years some housing associations have identified a number of high-rise buildings where ACM and other types of cladding need to be replaced. This means that while organisations may have started the work of replacing cladding following a risk-based approach, they may not have started the replacement on every single building yet.
“In these instances housing associations are not necessarily waiting for more information, but this is a result of the scale of the work that needs to be carried out.”
Network Homes, Swan, Govan Housing Association, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and Falkirk Council all told Inside Housing that they will review the safety of their HPL-clad blocks after the government publishes its test results.
Never Again campaign
Inside Housing has launched a campaign to improve fire safety following the Grenfell Tower fire
Never Again: campaign asks
Inside Housing is calling for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.
LANDLORDS
- Take immediate action to check cladding and external panels on tower blocks and take prompt, appropriate action to remedy any problems
- Update risk assessments using an appropriate, qualified expert.
- Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out
- Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents
GOVERNMENT
- Provide urgent advice on the installation and upkeep of external insulation
- Update and clarify building regulations immediately – with a commitment to update if additional learning emerges at a later date from the Grenfell inquiry
- Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)
We will submit evidence from our research to the Grenfell public inquiry.
The inquiry should look at why opportunities to implement learning that could have prevented the fire were missed, in order to ensure similar opportunities are acted on in the future.
