East Village, Stratford E20 Fire safety in tall residential buildings

Work to remove cladding from 11 tall buildings at Stratford’s East Village is underway following a review led by Newham Council, with all cladding on track to be removed by the end of the year.

The East Village in Stratford (E20 postcode) has 66 tall buildings, the highest concentration in the borough, and the Council has been in regular contact with the building managers (East Village Management) to assess the presence of cladding at the Village and agree what action to take.

A survey identified 11 of tall buildings with aluminium composite material (ACM), ranging from small areas used for decorative features on balconies to larger panels. A physical building inspection carried out by the council, along with colleagues from the Ministry of Communities, Housing and Local Government (MCHLG), confirmed the information provided by East Village Management was accurate, and that factors including sprinkler systems meant the overall risk was not considered high.

Since the inspection was carried out, East Village Management has commenced works to remove the cladding from the 11 buildings identified, with the ACM expected to be removed by the end of this year. The Council is in regular contact to ensure progress is maintained, and that the occupants of the buildings remain safe.

Newham Council lead member for housing Cllr Shaban Mohammed said; “The safety of residents is absolutely paramount, and so I join with Stratford ward members in welcoming the response by the Council, MHCLG and East Village Management to tackle this issue.”

Since the tragedy at Grenfell Tower in Kensington in June 2017, in which ACM cladding was implicated as a factor in the number of injuries and deaths, the London Borough of Newham has undertaken a borough wide survey of all residential properties over 18 metres tall to identify if ACM is present and what fire safety provisions exist.

Published: 10 Nov 2020