Housing chiefs call for halt to cladding tests

Social housing leaders are calling for a halt to Government cladding tests in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

All cladding tested so far has failed.

And David Orr, Chief Executive at the National Housing Federation, said further testing is simply wasting resources when the results are “already known”.

Orr said: “Since the tragic fire colleagues across the housing sector have been doing everything they can to reassure residents and take action to make homes safer.

“This includes urgently submitting data and samples to the Government’s testing programme.

“These tests were the right thing to do, but the results are now conclusive: ACM cladding simply does not pass these tests and is deemed unsafe.

“Across the country, valuable resources – from specialist equipment to expert time – are being poured into a testing process of which the results are already known.

“We are calling on the Government to halt the testing on ACM cladding and shift its focus to making people safe.

“It is highly likely that this means removing the cladding from hundreds of buildings we were assured were safe – including hotels, private sector blocks, hospitals and student accommodation.

“This process has powerfully demonstrated a systemic failure in construction, manufacturing and the way that regulation has been applied.

“Putting this right will require a strategic look at the issue of fire safety in buildings as a whole, as well as clear prioritisation and funding from Government – the costs should not fall on the residents of these properties.”

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2017/06/29/housing-chiefs-call-for-halt-to-cladding-tests/

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