Council and Fire Service reassure Chalcots residents
Residents on the Chalcots Estate are today (Saturday August 5) receiving a letter which provides further reassurance about the works done within the buildings, as well as a further update about the recent test of the cladding safety system as a whole.
As part of the council's ongoing commitment to providing an independent assessment of resident safety, yesterday (Friday August 4) the London Fire Brigade visited the estate. The letter tells that the Brigade reviewed snagging issues identified by residents and confirmed the works done to address them were completed to an acceptable standard.
The letter also updates that the government Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has published the technical detail of its recent cladding safety system test, which confirms the results of the initial test, carried out in June, where the outer cladding panels failed fire safety tests. But this recent test has shown that the Rockwool mineral insulation did not burn under test conditions.
The council will be replacing the outer cladding panels on the Chalcots blocks and the letter tells that the government has told the council that they will conduct another test to help the council find a suitable replacement for the outer cladding panels. That test is expected to happen on Monday 14 August.
Until the outer cladding panels are replaced the council will continue to follow DCLG and London Fire Brigade guidance about temporary measures to safeguard residents.
The letter, jointly from Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council, and Pat Callaghan, Cabinet Member for Housing and Deputy Leader of the Council, reads as follows:
Saturday 4 August 2017
Dear Resident,
Chalcots cladding test results – further update
Further to our letter yesterday we now have the technical report on the latest cladding test from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
You can read it in full on the DCLG’s website here: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government
The report confirms the results of the initial test carried out in June where the outer cladding panels failed fire safety tests.
The test also now shows that the Rockwool mineral insulation, which forms part of the cladding’s safety system as a whole, did not burn under test conditions.
Camden has already committed to replacing the outer panels on your block. The government has told us that they will conduct another test to help us find a suitable replacement for the outer cladding panel and we expect that to happen on Monday 14 August.
Once we have their recommendation will be able to arrange for the replacement of the cladding on your block and share with you a timetable for the completion of the works.
Until the outer cladding panels are replaced we will continue to follow DCLG and London Fire Brigade guidance about temporary measures to safeguard residents.
London Fire Brigade visit to the Chalcots estate
The London Fire Brigade visited the Chalcots estate on Friday morning as part of our ongoing commitment to providing an independent assessment of resident safety and to address resident concerns around snagging issues. During the visit snagging issues identified by residents were reviewed and the London Fire Brigade confirmed the works done to address them were completed to an acceptable standard.
We will continue to ensure any new snagging issues that arise are addressed and work with inspections from other local authority building control officers, fire service and gas safety inspectors to monitor the standard of the works.
If you have any concerns, or want to report snagging issues to be dealt with, please phone 020 7974 4444 (extension 7) or email [email protected]
Yours sincerely,
Georgia Gould Leader of Camden Council
Pat Callaghan Cabinet Member for Housing and Deputy Leader