Image: Metropolitan Police
Councils and housing associations had until yesterday to report to communities minister Sajid Javid whether their housing blocks had been clad in aluminium composite material (ACM).
The edict from Javid comes in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in London last week in which 79 people have been reported to have died. As part of its £8.6m refurbishment in 2016 the 24-storey block was reportedly overclad using Reynobond PE – an ACM with flammable hard-plastic core.
The DCLG secretary said in a statement yesterday: “While the exact reasons for the speed of the spread of fire have yet to be determined, we have concluded that there are additional tests that can be undertaken with regard to the cladding.
“It is important to stress that ACM cladding is not of itself dangerous, but it is important that the right type is used.
“We are putting in place a rigorous, government-funded testing process for any ACM cladding identified.
“Housing minister Alok Sharma this morning met representatives from across the housing sector including the Home Builders Federation, Local Government Association and the National Housing Federation. They all expressed their support for this work and gave a commitment that they would progress this with all possible haste.”
At the weekend the chancellor sparked controversy by appearing to suggest cladding used on the tower block is banned in Britain for high-rise buildings.
Philip Hammond told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “My understanding is the cladding in question, this cladding which is banned in Europe and the US, is also banned here.”
CEP Architectural Facades, a company that fabricated the rainscreen panels and windows for Harley Facades Ltd, the firm that was subcontracted to install cladding to the tower block and replace its windows, rejected the Chancellor’s comments.
Speaking to ITV, John Cowley, managing director of CEP, which is owned by Omnis, said: “Reynobond PE is not banned in the UK.
“Current building regulations allow its use in both low-rise and high-rise structures,” Cowley added.
“The key question now is whether the overall design of the building’s complete exterior was properly tested and subsequently signed off by the relevant authorities, including the fire officer, building compliance officer and architect before commencement of the project.”
He has also said the chancellor’s comments were “frivolous and ill-informed”.
