Tower Hamlets Council has secured a Remediation Order requiring owners to remove dangerous ACM cladding from their high-rise building in Stepney.
The Council is the first local authority in the country to bring a legal action of this kind against a freeholder of a private building.
The Order requires the building owners to replace ACM cladding on the building, install new cavity barriers and replace combustible insulation.
Failure to carry out this work within a set time frame could see the matter being enforced with permission of the County Court which could include an unlimited fine or prison sentence.
Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman said: “It is shocking that seven years after the devastating Grenfell Tower fire there are still high-rise buildings clad in ACM in this country.
“I believe everyone deserves to live in a safe and secure home in Tower Hamlets and this action proves we will do everything within our power to get this.
“I am proud of what we have achieved, and it is due to the hard work and dedication of officers. This is the first action of this kind, but it will not be the last.
“We are taking this approach with other private building owners who are failing to remove dangerous cladding from their buildings and we expect to secure more Orders in the near future.”
Tower Hamlets is one of the most densely populated and built-up boroughs in the country.
For privately owned residential buildings, the Council’s role is to monitor remediation and report to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. In cases where there are delays to remedial works starting, the Council can intervene using the most appropriate course of action.
The Council used powers available under the Housing Act 2004 and Building Safety Act 2022 to enforce the remedial works.
It applied for a Remediation Order at the First-Tier Tribunal Property Chamber and secured an agreement on 18 November 2024.
Officers are currently working on securing more Remediation Orders against freeholders of other high-rise buildings where progress has stalled.
Posted on Thursday 5th December 2024