Update on building and fire safety work carried out in Wolverhampton following Grenfell disaster

The high-rise tragedy in 2017 claimed 72 lives, and over the last five years the local authority has spent £40m carrying out asbestos removal and enhancing building safety across its social housing stock.

Following the London fire, Wolverhampton Homes assessed all its high-risk buildings and identified the need for urgent fire safety work – including the replacement of fire doors, introduction of sprinklers, emergency lighting and escape signs – which was completed in 2018.

A report to the city’s climate change, housing and communities panel, which will be presented on Thursday (September 28), said: “There has been a continued and increased focus on compliance, not just for fire safety but for all building safety systems and equipment.

“In addition, there has been significant investment in the tower blocks managed by Wolverhampton Homes. To date, the fire safety improvement programme has delivered improvements to 11 blocks, with work currently underway in ten blocks and further work planned for the remaining 15 blocks over the next five years.

“There are no high-rise residential blocks of flats in Wolverhampton with Grenfell-style cladding formed from aluminium composite materials. The Building Safety Act 2022 primarily focuses on high-risk buildings, defined as being at least 18 metres tall or having at least seven floors.

“Wolverhampton Homes currently manages 44 such buildings on behalf of the local authority, with a further council-owned building – Hampton View – managed by Sanctuary Housing. All these buildings have already been registered with the new Building Safety Regulator,” added the report.

“This approach is illustrated by the refurbishment of the high-rise blocks of flats on the Heath Town estate, where we are retrofitting these blocks using non-combustible materials to improve their thermal performance, whilst enhancing fire safety.

“Similar work is due to start soon on Vauxhall, Boscobel, and Chetton Green estates and will also include the creation of new heat networks to provide significantly improved heating within the flats.”