Latest news with #remediation
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Thamesmead residents concerned cladding remediation not enough
Residents of eight tower blocks in Thamesmead have said they are frustrated that work to replace the "high fire risk" cladding was "only half finished".Royal Artillery Quays (RAQ) residents say they have campaigned for more than half a decade to make their homes safe after several investigations identified defects that posed a serious fire engineering firm Urban Change gave the buildings a high fire risk rating in 2022, primarily due to the "poor workmanship" it identified in the installation of the external wall insulation (EWI) Developments, the original developer, said work to remediate the external wall problems would begin this month. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said Urban Change found fire break fixings were missing, not regularly spaced and made of plastic and not steel, making them more susceptible to failure if exposed to fire. The investigation also discovered the expanded polystyrene (EPS) render system in the EWI was not thick enough, with the report stating it "could lead to early exposure of the combustible insulation to fire".The works to be undertaken by Barratt Developments, who built the complex in 2002, are based on the recommendations of the report and have recently been approved by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).A Barratt spokesperson said: "We remain committed to remediating any fire safety issues identified in the original construction of the buildings, at no cost to leaseholders." 'Internal defects' The LDRS said RAQ residents remained concerned no plan to remedy problems found in the complex's internal walls had been property manager Rendall & Rittner commissioned fire safety inspectors to conduct a fire stopping survey at three of the eight tower blocks in 2019 which found areas did not meet minimum statutory resident George Boyd said: "Disturbingly, fire safety reports highlight the serious nature of these internal defects, even suggesting the possibility of prosecutions in the event of a fire."Mr Boyd said he also feared the external wall remediation work would not go far enough as Urban Change stated only the first two storeys of aluminium corner panels on the fire escape staircases would need to be replaced, despite the insulation of these panels having a Euroclass rating of E, the second most combustible rating in the fire class Change said: "The other corner panels higher up the stair core are not being replaced as there are no ignition sources externally or internally." 'Ensure action is taken' Steve Day, chair of RAQ, has been critical of Greenwich Council for not backing residents' claims that Barratt breached building regulations during the development's construction more than 20 years Day referred to an email seen by the LDRS sent to him by a Greenwich councillor on 22 April which said: "There is no evidence to suggest the works were in breach of the building regulations applicable at the time of construction."In response to Barratt's announcement the regulator approved the EWI remediation work, a Greenwich Council spokesperson said: "We believe strongly that everyone in Royal Greenwich should have a safe and secure home."Royal Artillery Quays is a private development, and its cladding is the developer's responsibility. We will continue to engage with residents and stakeholders as appropriate to ensure necessary action is taken."
CTV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Repairs to take months following leak at library, community centre in Dartmouth, N.S.
The Dartmouth North Public Library is closed due to a leak. (Source: Google Maps) A Dartmouth, N.S., library and community centre, which has been closed since March due to a water leak, will continue to be closed for months due to remediation work. The Dartmouth North Community Centre and Dartmouth North Public Library at 105 Highfield Park Drive suffered 'significant flood damage' on March 6, according to the Halifax Regional Municipality. At the time of the leak, Halifax Public Libraries said the building would be closed for at least five days. The municipality now says the site will remain closed for several months as the restoration work continues. All parks and recreation summer programs that were scheduled to be held at the community centre will now be located at the Gerald B. Gray Arena or a nearby Halifax Regional Centre for Education school. Halifax Public Libraries also plans to offer temporary service from a portable unit at the site. Additional details will be released in the coming weeks. Dartmouth North Public Library The Dartmouth North Public Library is closed due to a leak. (Source: Google Maps) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Building cladding: Up to £3bn could be spent in Scotland
Up to £3bn of public money may have to be spent assessing and removing potentially flammable cladding from buildings in estimates from the Scottish government suggest up to 1,450 residential buildings may need remediation work, including about 250 high-rises. It was previously estimated about 900 buildings were full surveys will be needed to establish what needs to be done on a case-by-case basis, with 107 buildings being examined as part of a pilot phase. It is now estimated that the Cladding Remediation Programme could cost £1.7bn to £3.1bn over a 15-year new legislation is passed by the Scottish Parliament, additional funding could be unlocked to fix building safety issues. The Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill will see a tax charged on the construction of certain new residential properties, in line with equivalent legislation in bill seeks to raise about £30m a year to help fund work to fix residential buildings with unsafe cladding which have no linked Finance Minister Ivan McKee said: "The Scottish government is committed to doing what is right and necessary to address the challenge of fixing buildings affected by unsafe cladding."That includes putting the appropriate funding arrangements in place to ensure that the associated costs of cladding remediation do not fall directly onto affected homeowners."I know that developers share our determination to keep people safe and this levy will ensure they make a fair contribution to these costs, just as they will be doing in England."He added: "I also welcome the continued co-operation of developers who have accepted responsibility for the assessments and any required mitigation and remediation of their buildings." Grenfell Tower fire The UK government agreed in principle to devolve the powers needed for a Scottish Building Safety Levy last month ministers announced plans to speed up efforts to inspect and repair buildings in response to the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London that killed 72 23-storey tower's cladding is believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of the broke out in the kitchen of a fourth-floor flat at the tower block in North Kensington, just before 01:00 on 14 June minutes, the fire had rapidly spread up the exterior of the building and moved across all four sides. By 03:00, most of the upper floors were well well as those killed, more than 70 people were Cladding Remediation Programme was set up in the aftermath of the disaster but Scottish ministers have been criticised for its slow progress.
Trade Arabia
5 days ago
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Abu Dhabi completes gas systems remediation in buildings
The Department of Energy – Abu Dhabi (DoE) has announced that it has successfully completed the gas systems remediation project in buildings with a 100% completion rate. According to DoE, over 200,000 safe working hours were recorded during the implementation of the programme, which began in August 2023, as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of gas systems across the emirate. The work was successfully completed on over 2,400 buildings, including more than 200 buildings classified as high-risk, which were addressed urgently, said the DoE in a statement. Additionally, 550 previously undetected gas leaks were identified and repaired, and all gas filling lines were relocated outside the buildings as part of the programme. It also involved the replacement of more than 450 gas tanks and control panels, as well as the installation of over 10,000 gas leak detectors inside kitchens. Dr Saif Saeed Al Qubaisi, Acting Director General of Regulatory Affairs at DoE, said: "Safety is a collective effort and a shared responsibility among all stakeholders in this sector. Building owners play a vital role in maintaining the safety and security of the community." "We began our inspection and remediation project in August 2023 and have successfully inspected over 3,100 buildings across the emirate," he stated. Eng Ahmed Alsheebani, Executive Director of the Petroleum Products Regulatory Affairs Sector at DoE, said: "Abu Dhabi continues to lead in ensuring the safe use of gas systems, recognising gas as a vital resource that impacts various aspects of daily life and plays a key role- alongside clean and renewable energy sources - in supporting the stability of the energy sector." According to the Executive Regulations for Gas Works in Buildings, property owners are required to sign an annual maintenance contract with a gas operator permitted by the DoE.
Bloomberg
7 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Westpac Says Reaches Pact With Regulator Over Mortgage Breaches
Westpac Banking Corp. said its RAMS Financial Group Pty. unit reached an agreement with Australia's markets regulator to resolve its investigation into mortgages. The subsidiary of the Australian bank has completed a remediation program and will continue to work with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to resolve the proceedings as quickly as possible, according to a Westpac statement Wednesday.
