Fire safety in high-rise flats
Since the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower in Kensington in 2017, there has been considerable concern expressed nationally about fire safety and cladding of high-rise blocks of flats. Following this tragedy, we wrote to our tenants and leaseholders living in high-rise council flats to inform and reassure them about their homes. We also carried out tests to identify the specific materials in any cladding panels, as well as instructing our contractor to carry out additional fire inspections to individual flats within these buildings. We are confident that, in the event of a fire within a flat, it will be contained and will not move on to the next flat.
In April 2022, the Government's Building Safety Act became law. This introduced new responsibilities for building owners.
We own seven blocks that now fall within the Government's 'higher risk' category in terms of height:
- Kylna Court
- Pelham Court (two blocks)
- Eastwick Row (two blocks)
- Gade Tower
- Fennycroft Road
None of these buildings have external aluminium composite cladding as used on Grenfell Tower. All fire risk assessments are up to date.
We work closely with the Fire and Rescue Service to confirm safety advice and pass this on to residents. As always, we ask residents to continue to follow our safety advice, which includes keeping to the clear landings policy, not using naked flames on balconies (for example, barbecues) and keeping fire doors closed.
During 2023, we will begin developing a Resident Engagement Strategy for each of our high-rise blocks, as required by the Act. We will be contacting residents later this year. Once finalised, every resident of these blocks aged 16 years and over will be given a copy. Please make sure our records are up to date by giving us details of everyone living in your home. (This includes temporary guests staying for 30 days or more.)
More information
Further details can be found in our frequently asked questions:
