Hounslow Council To Review Proposals To Re-Clad Local Tower Blocks

Following Grenfell Tower fire the Council is to consult Fire Brigade on safety

Proposals to re-clad the Brentford Towers are to be reviewed following the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Councillor Katherine Dunne, Syon ward and Lead Member for Housing issued a letter to all tenants on Friday (16 June) in which she said that the Council would be taking advice from the London Fire Brigade on the insulated cladding proposed for use on the refurbishment project.

"As you know, we are at an advanced stage with our plans to re-clad the Brentford Towers. However, ... we will be reviewing whatever recommendations the London Fire Brigade make in relation to the Grenfell fire, including those relating to insulated cladding systems.

"In light of the fire, the Council has decided to consult with the London Fire Brigade Service and other statutory services on the design and specification n of our proposals for Brentford towers, before we agree to proceed. We will of course continue to engage and consult with you on this process.

She told residents that the borough's High Rise blocks had up-to-date Fire Risk Assessments and all resulting immediate actions which were identified in these independent assessments were undertaken within the required time frames.

Hounslow Council has been planning a programme of external repair works to the six high rise blocks known as Brentford Towers. The blocks were built between 1968 and 1978 and the concrete is spalling, a natural process whereby the steel bars corrode and the concrete cracks and bulges.

The aim of the work is to repair and protect the existing structure and replace existing windows and boilers.

The work also includes the removal of asbestos and remodelling of entrance lobbies. The upper floors are to provide 17 new homes, using available spaces, (this requires a separate planning application).

Following the Grenfell tower fire, lead member Steve Curran urged all tenants in local high rise flats to know their escape plan. Expressing condolences to those who suffered in the fire, he said that Hounslow Council would be putting safety of tenants as the highest priority.

“We continue to liaise with our own tenants who live in high-rise blocks of flats and will offer further advice once we have more information from the London Fire Brigade [LFB].”

The advice from London Fire Brigade for people who live in high rise properties or purpose built flats and maisonettes, aside from having a working smoke alarm and taking fire safety precautions, is to make sure you know your escape plan and what to do if there is a fire inside your home or somewhere else in the building.

Further information is available on the LFB website specifically for people who live in purpose built flats and maisonettes.”

June 16, 2017