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Government ‘names and shames’ building owners yet to remove Grenfell-style cladding
The government has publicly revealed the names of five building owners yet to put a plan in place to remove Grenfell-style cladding from their buildings, despite nearly three years passing since the fire that killed 72 people.
In an update to its aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding guidance, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) named five companies that have yet to begin a tender process to remove this type of cladding from their buildings. These companies are Adriatic Land 3, Chaplair, Grangewalk Developments, RMB 102 and STG Management.
The list follows repeated warnings from the government that it would name and shame building owners that had failed to act. Housing secretary Robert Jenrick initially said this would happen in autumn 2019.
Sir Martin Moore-Bick, chair of the Grenfell Inquiry, said in his phase one report that the ACM panels with a polyethylene core were the “principal reason why the flames spread so rapidly” across the building on the night in June 2017.
According to the government note yesterday, the five companies have indicated to MHCLG that they are responsible for the remediation of their buildings but have yet to start tendering for work.
However, the government does say that these landlords may have carried out work to test the materials on their building, may be at the early stages of a funding application, or may be looking at alternatives to take forward remediation.
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Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said of the firms: “If they do not act swiftly, we will work with local councils to bring necessary enforcement action immediately.
“It is critical those responsible for remediation take forward action at pace.”
However, the naming and shaming has been met with fierce opposition from one of the freeholders.
A spokesperson for HomeGround, the company that manages Adriatic Land, said it was disappointed and surprised by the announcement.
They said: “In this specific case, the freeholder has provided funding of £791,128 to prevent an immediate cost for fire safety works falling on residents and is also in ongoing and delicate negotiations with the construction company that built the building regarding a potential solution.
“Further, an application to fund the remediation costs for the building is with the government’s own cladding fund for approval.
“Naming and shaming building owners, who are committed to fixing these buildings as quickly as possible, is completely counterproductive.”
Adriatic Land is part of the £1.6bn Long Harbour Ground Rent Fund. RMB 102 is a company that lists millionaire James Tuttiett as its director. Mr Tuttiett’s E&J Estates company owns the freeholds of thousands of residential properties across the country.
According to Companies House, Chaplair has £8.1m worth of freehold investments, while STG Management is listed as a dormant company.
Last month’s MHCLG building safety figures revealed that there were still 143 of 175 private sector blocks clad in ACM where remedial work had not begun.
According to the figures, there were 43 buildings for which an intent to remediate had been reported and for which plans were being developed.
In the update posted yesterday, the government said a company may not be on the list if naming it would lead to the identification of a specific building, if the company is awaiting further guidance from public authorities, or if those responsible for remediation are in administration.
