Welsh council agrees plans to deliver fire safety and energy efficiency works at two high-rise blocks

A two-stage open procurement process will be used to appoint a single contractor for both buildings.

The works will follow a similar approach to previous high-rise schemes delivered by the council, including at Lydstep Flats in Llandaff North, completed in 2024, and at Nelson House and Loudoun House in Butetown.

Lynda Thorne, cabinet member for housing and communities at Cardiff Council, said: “The safety of our residents is always our top priority, and this report marks another important step in our programme to address fire safety and improve living conditions in our high-rise homes.

“Progressing these works at Beech House and Sycamore House will improve the energy efficiency of the blocks and enhance comfort for residents living there.

“We are committed to keeping residents informed as the project moves forward and ensuring the works are managed carefully, safely and with as little disruption as possible.” 

Welsh government funding has already been approved for the scheme.

The council previously removed cladding from five high-rise blocks in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

While the retrofitted external cladding on the council’s buildings was not the same highly flammable ACM type used at Grenfell, it did not meet current fire safety standards and could pose an additional risk in a fire.

This latest agreement comes after Inside Housing reported how the Cardiff Capital Region has locked in the delivery of over 3,300 social and affordable homes as it looks to replicate the work of Homes England.

Figures shared exclusively with Inside Housing revealed that the regional body – which covers around half of Wales’s population – confirmed the delivery of 3,337 homes with housing associations and local councils between the current financial year and 2029-30.