Negative Sentiment Around Fire Remediation Risks Damaging Collaboration

There is near universal acknowledgement that the pace of fire safety remediation works is too slow, following the inflection point of the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017. For many residents, the passage of seven and a half years, has brought vulnerability, stress and a sense of hopelessness to a situation over which they have little agency to affect change.

But there are signs of growing optimism in a life-critical debate that refuses to be silenced and fade away for the UK’s key decision makers. The legitimacy of scrutiny and accountability is essential, but should also be informed by shining a light on positive action and progress. We need to be sharing and learning from those institutions and organisations that are embracing what is an immensely complex and challenging situation to focus on delivering safe and secure homes for residents.

The strategic review of residential buildings at risk in the devolved nations, post-Grenfell, was broadly similar in scope to the English review. However Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have each developed their own tailored approach to fire safety resolution. The situation in the devolved nations differs markedly from England, most notably in terms of the quantum of buildings falling within scope.

But even here, there are subtle, but important differences in the way that the Welsh Government has addressed the scope of its building review. The Senedd broadened the scope of its assessment criteria from the outset to include all residential buildings above 11m in height, but also any building incorporating two or more residential units regardless of height. Importantly, the focus for the Welsh review also looked beyond the notorious external cladding panels, taking a holistic approach to resident safety by encompassing all potential ‘internal’ fire safety defects as well, and bringing these elements into scope as part of its review.

Within Wales, 407 buildings fall within this enhanced scope, comprising 238 private tenure and 169 social buildings. A report late last year highlighted that work had completed (subject to final sign off) on 67 of these buildings, with remediation work currently underway on 103 buildings, and plans in development for a further 151 buildings. After additional investigation, seven of the identified buildings did not require any fire safety works, and the remaining 79 buildings were under active review to identify any remediation requirements.

Attempting direct comparisons between the UK nations is both a contentious and potentially misleading exercise. However under the enhanced scope of the Welsh safety review, some 43% of buildings have either had work completed, work started, or fire safety work is not required. Remediation plans are in development on a further 37% of buildings, with the government actively working with the remaining 20% to identify remediation work requirements. In England, the December report data states that 69.2% of buildings identified as having a life critical fire safety (LCFS) defect relating to the external wall system (EWS), would be remediated in five years, with 10.5% of this total due to be completed in the next six months.

The number of buildings across the UK assessed as posing a fire safety risk to their residents still has the capacity to shock us, and represents a systemic failure of multiple agencies and organisations over many years. But as the painstaking work advances to remediate these critical issues, we must take care not to dominate our focus on frustrations and setbacks, but also to embrace, collaborate and widely share and learn from the best practice which continues to emerge as part of the collective response to the tragic events of 2017, which must never again be repeated.