Image: Newport City Homes
The Welsh government has set aside £3m to fund the removal of non-compliant aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding from housing association tower blocks.
Housing and regeneration minister Rebecca Evans (pictured centre) announced the move to enable Newport City Homes to replace cladding on three tower blocks in the city yesterday.
The buildings are believed to be the only three in the Welsh social housing sector to have been confirmed as having ACM systems corresponding with those which failed large-scale combustibility tests following the Grenfell Tower disaster in London last year.
Evans said: "Since the terrible events at Grenfell Tower last year, we have worked closely with local authorities, building owners, managers, both the private and third sectors and others to gather a full and accurate picture of high-rise residential buildings in Wales, and to ensure that owners and agents are aware of Government safety guidance and taking necessary action.
"Newport City Homes acted quickly to safeguard residents, putting in place a number of fire safety measures, including fitting sprinklers. Now it’s our turn to support them with this investment, which will enable Newport City Homes to continue their commitment to resident safety, without compromising their vital plans to build more social housing in the city."
Newport City Homes board chair Nicola Somerville said: "We are delighted that Welsh Government has granted us this money and that our voice has been heard.
"The Minister has listened to our concerns and those of Newport. I would like to commend her for working in partnership to ensure that our work on making the tower blocks even safer does not impact on other essential initiatives in Newport.
"It builds upon the intense resident-focussed work we have already carried out in the last year, including retrofitting sprinklers in each of the tower blocks."
Last week, the government in Westminster announced that it would pay £400m to remove and replace dangerous cladding from buildings owned by councils and housing associations.
However, it emerged earlier this week that the money to fund the programme is to come from the existing affordable housing programme.
Speaking in the House of Lords on Tuesday, said the reallocation of the money would delay the creation of additional housing.
He said: "The money is out of the existing funding programme but additional money will be forthcoming in the year after: it alters the profile by delaying that additional housing by a year."
