CITY TOWERS FAIL BLAZE SAFETY TESTS
CLADDING on six high-rise blocks of flats in Cardiff does not meet safety standards, tests have revealed.
Fire safety provisions at three blocks at Lydstep Flats, Llandaff North, Loudoun House and Nelson House in Butetown and Channel View in Grangetown – which house an estimated 575 people – were all tested.
In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the Government ordered cladding from tower blocks to be sent for testing to see if it contained the Aluminium Composite Materials (ACM) which were present in that used at the London high-rise where 71 people lost their lives.
Within two weeks Cardiff council were told its blocks did not have ACM present, but their consultants recommended further testing.
That further testing has this month revealed the cladding systems – installed in the 1990s – have failed combustibility standards.
The buildings have veneered, fibrous-hardwood, rainscreen panels which were added years after they were built. While the insulation is non-combustible, the panels have been treated with chemicals that mean they do not meet today’s combustibility standards.
The average value of the cladding tested from the council blocks is 17.5 MJ/kg – almost six times higher than the pass value of 3MJ/kg. The value for Grenfell was 45MJ/kg.
It has also been found that no firebreaks were built in. That was also not required by regulations at the time of installation. A fire-break is a gap built in at a specified number of storeys which will prevent smoke and fire spreading vertically up the outside of a building.
The council is now facing having to remove all the cladding from the blocks at an unknown cost.
Experts have already removed the first panels from Nelson House, Butetown, to assess the process.
Cabinet member Lynda Thorne said there was no chance the cladding was ACM and the insulation was non-combustible rock wall.
However, she said the exterior veneer had failed to meet current safety recommendations.
She said there have been a number of fires within the flats over their lifetime, but that no fires had spread.
“Fortunately there has never been an issue with spread of fires. However, we know there’s been a failure and we have immediately begun bringing in additional measures to ensure the safety of our residents,” she said.
“One of the things we’re looking to understand is whether or not the best course of action is to remove the cladding.”
A number of sheets of cladding have been removed from Nelson House to test the process.
The authority said the building could, at least in the short term, remain without cladding. But they would need to decide whether to recover it in terms of appearances or heat loss.
“We do not know how much it would cost to remove the cladding, although it would be much less expensive than putting it on,” said Cllr Thorne.
The authority believe they are the first to order testing to this level and have informed the Welsh Government.
The authority had already set aside money to upgrade fire doors to above set standards in all of its highrise blocks. The authority has also begun 24-hour patrols at each block and there is increased CCTV monitoring.
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: “Cardiff have taken a proactive approach in line with UK Government guidance and sought expert advice – we support their focus on the safety of their residents.
“We will be writing to all owners, landlords and agents of high-rise residential buildings in Wales in the social and private sector, to remind them of the most up-to-date advice and guidance.
“Building owners should consider all the evidence relating to their individual building and take expert advice accordingly.”