Nottingham City Council has now written to the owners of over 500 private high rise blocks in the city, with the tallest residential buildings having been prioritised, to ask them to look at building and safety standards in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy.
Around 50 owners have contacted the Council so far, with responses continuing to be received on a daily basis. Reminder letters are being issued to prompt owners to take action as a matter of priority.
The council is requesting the same information that the Government has asked from councils. Nottingham City Council owns 13 tower blocks that are managed on its behalf by Nottingham City Homes. Its own review of these properties revealed that none of them are clad in the same material that was used on Grenfell Tower, and that fire safety arrangements are robust.
However, to provide extra protection and reassurance for residents, the council has committed to installing sprinklers and improving intercom systems. It is now looking to private high rise owners to carry out the same audit and consider whether they should take any action.
City Council Leader Cllr Jon Collins said: “As a responsible landlord we have looked at our own high rise blocks, given what happened at Grenfell Tower, satisfied ourselves and the Government of our safety standards, and have taken appropriate steps to improve safety measures and reassure residents. We hope that private landlords will take the same approach and are pleased with those who have responded positively to our request.
“It’s disappointing that some haven’t and we’ll be writing to them again, publishing the details of those who haven’t responded on our website and passing those details to Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, who have agreed to carry out risk-based inspections in these cases.”