ACM CLADDING INVESTIGATION

More than a year on from the Grenfell Tower fire and the ACM cladding investigations continue. Immediately after the tragedy, a number of local authorities sent samples of their ACM cladding to be tested at a government laboratory to make sure that there was no fire risk. It was found that 60 buildings across the London Boroughs failed the test.

Since these findings, work has started on replacing the cladding on a large number of social housing blocks across the country – confirming governmental plans to improve the safety of tenants in government owned properties.

PRIVATELY OWNED BUILDINGS WITH ACM

So, it seems the governmental buildings are being catered for, but what of privately owned properties?

In figures published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in England there are 301 privately-owned residential buildings which are unlikely to meet building regulations. These buildings include a number of hotels and student accommodation.

In an investigation by Property Week, it was found that 86 properties in London 18m or more high had ACM cladding systems present. Property Week sent a freedom-of-information request to all 33 London boroughs with interesting results. You can read the full article on their website.

The boroughs varied in their willingness to provide information however, 14 said they’d identified one or more properties with ACM cladding, while the remaining 17 said they had none or declined to answer. The total number of properties identified as having ACM cladding being 86.

Not all buildings are entirely clad with ACM and many boroughs divided their information into levels of severity and therefore priority. The borough with the highest number of private-sector high-rise building using ACM was Greenwich with 29, with Brent and Wandsworth having 12.

Property Week has published a detailed report on the matter and, we look forward to seeing how owners of privately owned buildings react to it; especially as the report uncovers details of progress being made towards remedying the problem.

THE SOLUTION

While identifying that there is problem is usually step one; we are interested to see which private-sector owners will be proactive in acting upon the advice of the experts in the field. The solution to the ACM cladding presence is expensive and some companies and owners will baulk at the potential hit their profits will take, however, with a new private sector remediation task force on the cards it won’t be too long before we see more activity taking place to ensure the safety of those who utilise such buildings.

If you would like to speak to a member of our team about anything included in this article or any of our services (including ACM related services) please call us on 0203 195 0851 or contact us via our website. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

photo credit: By dominika zarzycka