No time to lose
BUILDING REGULATIONS MUST BE REVIEWED URGENTLY
BRITAIN’S building regulations need an “urgent and immediate” review.
Pressure is mounting on ministers to overhaul standards after the Grenfell Tower disaster claimed the lives of at least 80 people.
Lord Gary Porter, the head of the Local Government Association, said a major change to the rules was necessary in wake of the outrage.
He said: “Following on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy, we want the Government to begin an urgent and immediate review of building regulations.
“We cannot wait for the result of the public inquiry or coroner’s report before this review is started.
“We have to act based on what we know now, while being prepared to revisit the building regulations again in the future if any additional lessons need to be learned.
“There is complexity and confusion in the current system that must be addressed and local government must play a central role in this review from the outset.
“The review needs to consider how easy it is to use, comply with and understand the building regulations and the associated documents supporting them, particularly those relating to the installation of cladding and insulation on external walls of buildings and how the building control, fire safety and planning regimes interact.”
Since the deadly blaze, confusion has surrounded how the combustible cladding was allowed to be installed on the building in the first place.
The Chronicle launched What Price Life? campaign demanding action on fire safety for high-rise residents.
In the six weeks following the fire, the government has been testing cladding on high-rise blocks up and down the country, revealing that the problem spreads far beyond Grenfell Tower.
It has been identified on high-rise blocks in Sunderland, two hospitals in Newcastle and student accommodation blocks in the city too.
Earlier this month, the Department for Communities and Local Government announced they would carry out more sophisticated tests on cladding.
That has been welcomed by the LGA but they are urging the government to carry out the work urgently.
Lord Porter said: “Councils will do whatever it takes to ensure our residents are all safe in their homes.
“We have been clear all along that entire cladding panels and the insulation behind them need to be fire tested together as a system, rather than just the core of the panels on their own, and are also pleased these much-needed changes to the testing process will now happen.
“It is vital that we get this right and this whole-system testing needs to happen as soon as possible.”
He also said the process needs to be more transparent if the public are to trust it. Distrust has permeated much of the national conversation after the fire, with widespread questions about how the tragedy was allowed and even doubts by some over the official death toll.
Calling for the full disclosure of testing results, he said: “We are concerned that the Building Research Establishment, carrying out safety tests, does not feel able to release the results of previous cladding system tests, as these are deemed commercially confidential.
“If the public are going to have faith in this fire safety testing process then everything needs to be out in the open.
“It is no time for contractors or manufacturers to withhold test results from both councils and the public.
“The industry and BRE needs to waive this confidentiality in the public interest to assist the Government and councils in gathering as complete a picture as possible of what is and is not acceptable in cladding systems.
“These are exceptional circumstances when not only the safety of thousands of residents, but also the peace of mind of many more, is at stake.”
Yesterday, Newcastle’s and Sunderland’s primary social housing providers said they would also be submitting insulation materials for testing.
South Tyneside Council have already taken that step and got the all-clear.