Lambeth council to review housing stock after tower fire

Lambeth council is to review all of its medium-rise and high-rise housing stock in light of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Property Week magazine reported that the council’s ‎strategic director for neighbourhoods and growth, Sue Foster, told the London Real Estate Forum that the council was carrying out risk assessment on all its medium-rise and high-rise stock and that other boroughs were doing the same.

She stressed that all the borough’s housing stock has up-to-date fire risk assessments, but that the review could change the way it refurbishes stock in the future.

“This is an absolutely appalling fire,” she said. “The first thing is to give our support to Kensington and Chelsea, but also try to reassure our residents.

“All of our stock has up-to-date fire risk assessments, but we need to reinforce means of escape, ensure that residents know what they need to be doing in terms of a fire.

“We are now reviewing all of our medium-rise and high-rise stock, as other London boroughs will be doing … doing some risk assessments on them.

“And it could, subject to the outcome of the review, lead to changes in how we refurbish our stock and what we need to do to our existing stock.”

Rydon, the company that fitted the cladding to the outside of Grenfell Tower, refurbished Lambeth council’s Myatts Field North estate as part of a 25-year private finance initiative contract that began in May 2012.

It also maintains the estate and is responsible for fire risk assessments there.