25,000 high-risk homes still covered with ACM cladding

Up to 24,800 homes across England are still clad with the aluminium composite material system blamed for the Grenfell Tower fire.

More than two years after the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London in which 72 people died the government has revealed that as of the end of August, 98 high-rise social sector buildings and 168 private residential towers had unsuitable cladding.

In its latest building safety update the government said: “Yet to be remediated social sector residential buildings account for approximately 7,600 dwellings.

“Yet to be remediated private sector residential buildings account for approximately 13,400 to 17,200 dwellings.”

Of the social sector towers, 81 have had work start on them, 16 have a replacement plan in place but no work has taken place and in the one remaining case building owners have stated their intention to deal with the issue.

Owners of private sector residential towers have said work has begun on 24 towers, plans are in place for 76 buildings, 46 have reported an intent to carry out work and are drawing up plans.

The plan for remediation work on the remaining 22 towers is unclear, the housing department said.

Since July 2018 181 high-rise private sector residential buildings identified with ACM cladding systems, with work completed on just 13.

Work has been finished on 60 of the 158 social sector residential buildings that need to have their cladding replaced.

The latest update also 56 high-rise student accommodation buildings had been identified to have been ACM clad.

Remediation has been completed on 33 of these, with work having started on six others. A plan is in place at 11 while the owners of two towers have reported an intent to remediate and are developing plans. The status of plans for the remaining four towers is unclear.

For the 30 high-rise hotels identified with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations, two have completed and 10 have started remediation, unchanged since the end of July

Owners’ plans for eight hotels are unclear, an increase of one since the end of July due to the identification of a new hotel identified to have an ACM cladding system. 

Ten publicly owned schools and health buildings have ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet building regulations. Work to replace cladding has been completed at three of these buildings and started on one other.