Residents worried cladding remediation not enough

Residents of eight tower blocks in south-east London have said they are frustrated that work to replace the "high fire risk" cladding was "only half finished".

People living in Royal Artillery Quays (RAQ), Thamesmead, say they have campaigned for more than five years to make their homes safe after several investigations identified defects posing a serious fire risk.

Chartered engineering firm Urban Change gave the buildings a high fire risk rating in 2022, primarily due to the "poor workmanship" it identified in the installation of the external wall insulation (EWI) system.

Barratt Developments, the original developer, said work to remediate the external wall problems would begin this month.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said Urban Change found fire break fixings were missing, not regularly spaced and made of plastic and not steel, making them more susceptible to failure if exposed to fire.

The investigation also discovered the expanded polystyrene (EPS) render system in the EWI was not thick enough, with the report stating it "could lead to early exposure of the combustible insulation to fire".

The works to be undertaken by Barratt Developments, who built the complex in 2002, are based on the recommendations of the report and have recently been approved by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

A Barratt spokesperson said: "We remain committed to remediating any fire safety issues identified in the original construction of the buildings, at no cost to leaseholders."

The LDRS said RAQ residents remained concerned no plan to remedy problems found in the complex's internal walls had been offered.

RAQ's property manager Rendall & Rittner commissioned fire safety inspectors to conduct a fire stopping survey at three of the eight tower blocks in 2019 which found areas did not meet minimum statutory requirements.

RAQ resident George Boyd said: "Disturbingly, fire safety reports highlight the serious nature of these internal defects, even suggesting the possibility of prosecutions in the event of a fire."

Mr Boyd said he also feared the external wall remediation work would not go far enough as Urban Change stated only the first two storeys of aluminium corner panels on the fire escape staircases would need to be replaced, despite the insulation of these panels having a Euroclass rating of E, the second most combustible rating in the fire class system.

Urban Change said: "The other corner panels higher up the stair core are not being replaced as there are no ignition sources externally or internally."

Steve Day, chair of RAQ, has been critical of Greenwich Council for not backing residents' claims that Barratt breached building regulations during the development's construction more than 20 years ago.

Mr Day referred to an email seen by the LDRS sent to him by a Greenwich councillor on 22 April which said: "There is no evidence to suggest the works were in breach of the building regulations applicable at the time of construction."

In response to Barratt's announcement the regulator approved the EWI remediation work, a Greenwich Council spokesperson said: "We believe strongly that everyone in Royal Greenwich should have a safe and secure home.

"Royal Artillery Quays is a private development, and its cladding is the developer's responsibility. We will continue to engage with residents and stakeholders as appropriate to ensure necessary action is taken."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]