Tower blocks fail fire safety tests after Grenfell inferno
THREE Welsh tower blocks have failed further safety tests which took place in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Newport City Homes manages three 11-storey tower blocks in Newport. They are Milton Court, Hillview and Greenwood.
The company has now been told that whole cladding system “did not adequately resist the spread of fire” in the extensive test conducted by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).
The test, often called a ‘whole system test’, involved all of the elements of the cladding system.
Cladding at four Swansea tower blocks in Clyne Court, Sketty and Jefferys Court in Penlan, which also failed initial tests, were declared safe after more extensive whole system tests.
The Newport tower blocks are among more than 100 buildings that have failed the latest fire safety tests set up after the fire in London on June 14, according to the BBC.
The Newport buildings have a 4mm layer of external cladding with a 50mm gap for ventilation.
There is then a 125mm layer of fire retardant and non-combustble cladding before the concrete and brick tower block.
Should a fire break out, a “fire break” between every floor expands to block off that ventilation space and prevent a “chimney effect”.
The company say that the failure does not mean that the building is unsafe but that it will introduce 24-hour fire wardens, install sprinklers, remove and replace the cladding.
Rob Lynbeck, executive director of operations at Newport City Homes, said: “The safety of our residents has always, and will continue to be, a priority for Newport City Homes.
“We are disappointed to learn the results of the whole system test and our focus is on making sure that residents are safe and feel reassured. Our board have already approved the installation of sprinklers and we are working with contractors to complete this work as quickly as possible.
“At each of our tower blocks we’re introducing fire wardens who will carry out frequent inspections of the building, throughout the day and night. They will make sure that escape routes are clear and monitor the safety of the building.
“We are also working with independent experts on a programme of work to remove and replace the cladding. This may take some time but it’s important we do this the right way. This will make sure that any replacement cladding meets or exceeds fire safety standards.”
The second set of test results have been released which show 111 buildings have a combination of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding with a polyethylene filler (category 3) with stone wool insulation.
The Government’s expert panel advises that the results show this combination does not meet current building regulation guidance.
The Government said 111 buildings are currently known to have this combination of materials in their wall cladding systems – 90 of which are local authority or housing association owned or managed.
Cladding samples from all these buildings had already been tested and failed earlier combustibility tests conducted by BRE. Building owners were advised to take immediate action by implementing interim safety measures and working with their local fire and rescue service to complete a fire safety audit.
The test results reinforce the evidence already provided to these building owners about fire risks.