Remediation of unsafe cladding on 2,300 residential buildings yet to start

Remediation work has begun or been completed on only 50% of the 4,630 housing blocks that are 11m or taller and have unsafe cladding, according to data released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Out of these, 1,350 had completed remediation, including those awaiting building control sign off and a futher 949 have started remediation.

This means that in 2,331 buildings with unsafe cladding, no remediation work had started as of 31 July.

In the social housing sector, 2,414 blocks over 11m have been identified as having life-critical fire-safety cladding defects as of 31 July this year.

Out of the 2,414 blocks, 663 buildings or 27%, are reported to have completed remediation.

Half of the buildings (1,208) have started or completed remediation, and 717 buildings (30%) have remediation plans but have not yet begun the work.

The remediation plans for 489 buildings remain unclear based on the current survey data.

On Monday, a fire broke out at the Spectrum Building, a high-rise block of flats in Dagenham that was undergoing cladding remediation to replace high-pressure laminate panels. Around 225 firefighters and 40 fire engines were required to put the fire out.

The London Fire Brigade reported that the building had “known” safety issues. The LFB will now investigate the causes of the fire, including the role of the cladding.

>> Also read: Dagenham block of flats engulfed by fire had known safety issues since 2020

The incident led to concern about the pace of progress in replacing cladding, seven years on from Grenfell.

In regard to remediation of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding, MHCLG data revealed that there are 499 high-rise, ACM-clad buildings that are unlikely to meet building regulations. Of the 499 buildings, 98% have have started or completed remediation.

Of these, 94% have had their ACM cladding removed and 88% having completed remediation.

The MHCLG reported that an estimated 26,100 to 29,500 dwellings in private and social sector buildings with ACM cladding have completed remediation. Additionally, there are about 5,000 to 5,100 dwellings in occupied private and social sector buildings that still require ACM cladding to be remediated.