The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dundee multi residents ‘lied to’ over fire safety
Material used in high-rise cladding below standard recommended
Residents of a Dundee high-rise clad with material linked to a deadly London tower block fire nine years ago say they have been told a “pack of lies” by officials.
The Courier revealed yesterday that Dudhope Court, off Lochee Road, is coated with a combustible high pressure laminate (HPL) cladding.
The material falls below the standards recommended by the Scottish Government’s fire safety experts. An inquiry also found the material aided the spread of the 2009 Lakanal House fire in London, which killed six people.
One resident, who has stayed on the top floor of the Lochee high-rise since 2014, said: “The building was chock-full of officials after the disaster at Grenfell – you couldn’t move for them. They were carrying out all sorts of tests.
“Why send a letter telling everyone it’s safe when it seems it isn’t fully?
“Get them down here and apologise to every person who lives here. They’ve told us a pack of lies.”
Dudhope Court is fitted with top-ofthe-range insulation but concerns have been raised about the cladding, which meets the British equivalent of the European safety class B rating.
The Scottish Government-appointed Building and Fire Safety working group, set up in the wake of the Grenfell fire disaster in London, has recommended that all high-rises meet a European A-rating.
There is no suggestion the tower blocks in Fife or Dundee are unsafe but other Scottish authorities, including Glasgow Housing Association, use noncombustible A1 rated cladding.
Another resident, who has lived in Dudhope Court for 15 years, revealed she had survived a tower block fire during a stay Canada in 1977.
The woman said: “Having been through that, it is worrying to hear that the cladding here isn’t as good as it could be.”
Fellow Dudhope Court resident Thomas Dolan, 62, said: “I want it changed. A lot of people have told us this place is safe.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “The council takes the safety of all tenants extremely seriously.
“Following the Grenfell Tower fire, a cladding panel at Dudhope Court was removed for testing and the insulation was independently verified as noncombustible.
“The council wrote to tenants on two occasions informing them of this process. Meanwhile, fire safety drop-in sessions were arranged in partnership with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“A rigorous annual risk assessment is carried out by the council and Scottish Fire and Rescue service to ensure all multi-storey blocks are of the highest standard and that any issues identified are addressed immediately.
“Blocks are inspected regularly to ensure any combustible materials and hazards are removed from communal areas.
“We will now be writing to tenants of Duhope Court to further reassure them about the safety standards of the multistorey block.”
Materials used in the cladding of eight tower blocks in Fife also fail to meet the expert-recommended safety standards.
But residents of 14-storey blocks of flats in Kirkcaldy have defended the council’s handling of concerns over the materials.
Angela Johnston, who chairs the tenants and residents’ association at Ravenscraig flats in the town, said there was a lot of anxiety among residents in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster last June.
However, she said Fife Council was working to make further improvements including upgrading fire doors and removing gas-powered tumble driers in the basement laundry.
There are three blocks of flats at Ravenscraig, each containing 86 flats
Ms Johnston, who lives on the 11th floor of one of the blocks, said she was reassured that the “fire retardant” cladding used in Fife tower blocks reduced the risk to residents.
She said: “Fife Council has addressed every thought we’ve had, so we don’t really have any worries or concerns.”
Why send a letter telling everyone it’s safe when it seems it isn’t fully?