Council Leader and Fire Brigade confirm urgent Chalcots works are complete
Updated Friday 4 August 2017
Camden Council and the London Fire Brigade have moved to reassure residents at Chalcots Estate that all urgent fire safety works required for residents to return home have been completed.
With the intial works specified by London Fire Brigade complete, the council's focus now turns to upgrading Chalcots residents' doors to ensure they are fire resistant for 60 minutes, providing fire blankets to every flat and conducting personal appliance testing on white goods. The Council is also continuing with its plan to remove cladding panels from the Chalcots tower blocks.
Update (4/08/2017): London Fire Brigade visit
The London Fire Brigade have visited the Chalcots Estate this morning as part of our ongoing commitment to providing an independent assessment of resident safety.
To date this independent assessment has included inspections from other local authority building control officers, fire service and gas safety inspectors.
The London Fire Brigade attended the Chalcots estate on Friday morning and reviewed snagging issues identified by residents. The fire brigade confirmed the works completed to address these issues are to an acceptable standard. We will continue to address new snagging issues that arise quickly and to an acceptable standard.
If you live on the Chalcots estate and have concerns or want to report snagging issues please phone 020 7974 4444 (extension 7) or email [email protected]
Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council, said: “We have now carried out the urgent works needed for Chalcots residents to return home. As at every stage of this process, we’ve used expert, independent advice - the London Fire Brigade reviewed these works and building control inspectors from Westminster and Lambeth Councils have signed them off. They have agreed the building is safe for residents to return and that we can complete the further works we need to do with residents back home. Their letters are published on our website.
“I’m speaking regularly to residents and looking into all concerns they raise with me. I’m clear that Grenfell changes everything. We are currently seeking to appoint a director of resident safety, launching an independent review into the circumstances that made evacuation of Chalcots necessary and introducing a resident-led fire safety panel, to ensure we’re the most rigorous London borough in our approach to fire safety.”
London Fire Brigade’s Borough Commander for Camden Simon Tuhill said: “The Brigade agreed a list of works to improve the general fire safety of the buildings. While more work needs to be done, the Brigade is satisfied the initial work has been enough to allow reoccupation of the buildings.
"What has been achieved to allow reoccupation of the blocks must be maintained and there are more improvements which Camden Council have committed to carry out. We will continue to liaise with the local authority over the changes to improve fire precautions.
"No building is ever completely free from risk which is why regular fire risk assessments by the responsible person are essential and any identified deficiencies rectified.
"Residents also play a key part in fire safety of buildings by ensuring self closers on fire doors are left intact, fire doors are not wedged open and that corridors and staircases are kept clear.”