Solid aluminium panels lined up to cover Chalcots towers
Camden Council’s Cabinet has agreed to submit a planning application to install solid aluminium panels on the outside of towers on the Chalcots Estate – an option favoured by its residents in consultation.
The panels differ from the cladding removed from the towers as they do not have the plastic core that has been shown by Government tests to be flammable.
The solid aluminium panels are inert and meet the highest safety standards, the new system will also provide a high level of insulation.
Providing this option receives planning approval, the Council will begin to install the panels this summer (2018), a process expected to cost approximately £22m in total.
Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council, said: “We’ve committed to delivering a new standard of resident safety in Camden and at the Chalcots estate we’ve taken swift action to make internal repairs, get the cladding off and identify a suitable and safe replacement. We continue to carry out checks on all our council housing and have started to advise and provide training opportunities for tenants in every block in Camden on fire safety.”
Camden Council presented four cladding replacement options to Chalcots residents at a consultation event on 31 October 2017 and residents expressed their preferences as follows:
Solid aluminium panels (no plastic core) – 42%
Glass reinforced concrete – 42%
No preference or keep bare concrete façade – 9%
Insulated render 3%
Other options (including brick, solar panels) – 3%
After studying the options of solid aluminium panels and glass reinforced concrete in more detail with experts, the Council decided the aluminium option was preferable due to it being easier to install and repair.
Following the cabinet decision, planning applications will be submitted and the procurement process is due to start shortly. While we await planning permission, a sample of the replacement cladding system will be sent away for independent testing, ensuring the solid aluminium panels and the proposed system meets Government requirements for replacement cladding.
You can read more about the Cabinet decision on our website.