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Industry News


Grenfell Tower inquiry goes into year-long hibernation


for radical reforms to housing safety, building regulations and tenants’ protection could fade and disappear as time passes. The first stage of the inquiry ended in December.


T


It has heard from hundreds of witnesses – survivors, families and friends of the 72 people who died, the firefighters and many more emergency responders, as well as expert witnesses – in an attempt to set out the events leading up to the fire and what exactly happened on the night of 14 June 2017. Whether recommendations from stage one will


be issued before the year-end we do not yet know, but the inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick, has already said that stage two hearings are unlikely to start before the end of 2019. Many participants believe it should be possible to


publish some initial recommendations from stage one by March this year. These relate to issues like the ‘stay put’ guidance in the event of a fire, the safety equipment provided to residents and firefighters, the resident consultation processes which landlords must undertake before major works begin and the quality of components used in residential buildings. The installation of water sprinklers is another contentious issue.


BUILDING SAFETY DELAYS The Government’s banning of combustible materials in the future building schemes has failed to satisfy campaigners, who understandably want to see it removed from existing buildings including


he public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster will rarely sit this year, with campaigners worried that the momentum


those below 18 metres in height. The second stage of the inquiry is due to focus on


the management of the tower, communications with residents, its refurbishment and fire safety. This means that conclusions about aspects of building safety and how they need to be improved – which could affect many thousands of other tower block residents – are likely to be delayed until 2021. Survivors and families of the deceased claim this is denying them justice. The survivors’ group Grenfell United has said the


defensiveness and silence of companies involved in the flawed refurbishment of the tower, was “an insult to our families and continues to put families at risk across the country”. Meanwhile teams of lawyers acting for the


building companies involved in the refurbishment of the tower as well as for Kensington & Chelsea Council, are now being given time to trawl through more than 200,000 documents collected by the inquiry team, so they can prepare for stage two of the inquiry.


BROKEN CULTURE Ed Daffarn, who escaped from the 16th floor of Grenfell Tower, spoke as stage one of the inquiry came to an end. He said: “What’s key isn’t that Grenfell is remembered for what happened before the fire, but for the change we achieved after the fire.” “We are looking to change the culture around


social housing and the institutional indifference it entails. Grenfell United has come to believe that can be achieved through a two-pronged attack –


There are 361 high-rise residential and publicly- owned buildings in England where ACM cladding systems remain in place and are unlikely to meet current Building Regulations guidance


tenants’ voice and regulation. Grenfell wouldn’t have happened if we had been heard and respected … People are still not being listened to.” It is remarkable to think that not all of those who


were made homeless by the fire have yet to move into permanent housing. In addition there are 361 high-rise residential


and publicly-owned buildings in England where ACM cladding systems remain in place and are unlikely to meet current Building Regulations guidance. Only 73 buildings have had all of their combustible cladding removed in the near 20 months that have passed since the Grenfell Tower fire.


There are 13 private sector residential buildings


where the cladding status is yet to be confirmed and 50 buildings where the removal plan is unclear. The Government also announced the BRE will start tests on non Grenfell-style cladding in March, with the results expected in the summer.


Councils told they are responsible for removal of cladding from private tower blocks


A Government minister has told local authorities they are responsible for ensuring that dangerous cladding panels are removed from dozens of privately owned tower blocks. In the latest building safety release from the


MHCLG, it was revealed there were 272 tower blocks in the private sector in need of remediation works. Of these 48 had started or finished remediation work, 158 had plans drawn up or in development, while no known plans existed for the remaining 69 blocks. The Government has made money available for


social landlords to pay for the removal of cladding from buildings in their ownership, but has repeatedly refused to fund removal works in the private sector. Instead it has relied on ever more vocal warnings to building owners that they needed


to take action. In November ministers told councils they should organise for the work to be done and to reclaim costs from the owners. Speaking in a debate in the House of Lords last


month, Lord Nick Bourne, under-secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, repeated this sentiment, saying: “The ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the cladding comes off those (69 blocks) rests with local authorities. They can require the private owners to take action.” Following this and speaking in the same debate,


Lord Gary Porter, who chairs the Local Government Association, raised concerns about this. “Councils have to operate inside the law of the land, and that doesn’t allow us just to go in and take off cladding from other people’s buildings.”


It is understood the Government plan involves


making a change to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System to ensure that cladding was covered by existing guidance, even though this has only been used for correcting faults like damp in privately rented properties. Councils would probably require a court order to carry out work if the building owner refused.


www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM February/March 2019 | 7


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