Cladding that is no longer compliant identified at block of around 50 flats in Northampton, council confirms

Cladding that is no longer compliant has been identified at a block of around 50 flats in Northampton, the council has confirmed.

Alliston Gardens, in Semilong, which is managed by Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH) was found to have non-compliant cladding during a Homes England Safety Scheme pilot where specialists carried out a fire risk assessment of external walls. Residents have been informed.

Last week NPH and West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) announced that flats had been identified as needing remedial action after changes to fire safety legislation meant the Government issued updated guidelines around safety standards for external wall materials of all buildings over 11 metres tall in January this year. The buildings had previously been assessed in 2018 after the Grenfell incident and had been found to be compliant.

NPH and WNC now say they are working closely with the guidance and support of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service to minimise any potential fire safety risks at Alliston Gardens and make future arrangements for removing the defective cladding found.

On Tuesday (September 19) tenants at Alliston Gardens received visits from NPH staff updating them, discussing their needs and to understand any vulnerabilities they may have. NPH’s community bus is also at the site to provide information and advice to residents and daily checks are being carried out until remedial work takes place to minimise safety risks such as exit obstructions etc.

Steve Feast, Chief Executive of Northamptonshire Partnership Homes, said: “Having recently identified that some cladding on Alliston Gardens is not compliant with the updated fire safety guidance, it's really important we work quickly to address this and also carry out full fire risk assessments on similar blocks of flats. We are working closely with WNC, and the fire service, on actions to remedy these issues and ensure the buildings remain compliant with legislation.

“We recognise this news may cause uncertainty for tenants at Alliston Gardens and today we have been visiting them to ensure they have the latest information on everything being done to address the issues, as well as carrying out daily checks. We will also be directly contacting tenants at our other blocks of flats which will be receiving future fire risk assessments in order to keep them updated.”

Councillor Adam Brown, WNC’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Culture and Leisure added: “We want all our communities to feel safe and supported so when national building regulations and safety standards change like this, we must act quickly to adapt so our residents know we are doing everything possible to keep them safe. Addressing these issues is a top priority for us and we are working hard with partners on a swift response to ensure continued peace of mind for all residents.”

NPH and WNC say they are now taking swift action to carry out fire risk assessments to the external walls of all other blocks of flats in Northampton over 11m or seven storeys high, with tenants affected by these investigations due to be contacted in the coming days. The authorities say daily safety checks will also be extended to these buildings as a precautionary measure whilst the assessments are carried out.