The Constuction
Industry Council has called for an industry-imposed moratorium on the use of
combustible materials in high rise cladding systems.
At the CIC Members’
Conference, members present welcomed the announcement by The Rt Hon James
Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local
Government, on 17 May, that the government will consult on banning the use of
combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings.
The CIC Members
present at the Conference, stressed that it was essential to begin the formal
consultation as soon as possible.
They also agreed
that it would be appropriate for the industry itself to impose a
moratorium on the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on buildings
over 18 metres, until there is a clear decision by the government on the
definition, classification, testing and use of combustible cladding &
insulation materials for high-rise residential and other higher risk
buildings.
The use of
combustible materials in cladding systems on buildings less than 18m high
should be subject to careful review on a case-by-case basis.
The industry-imposed
moratorium should be in conjunction with the work on fire and structural safety
recommended in the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety
Professor John
Nolan, chairman of CIC said, following the members conference: “I would
be very surprised if anyone in the UK was specifying combustible ACM and
insulation combinations on high-rise buildings since the Grenfell disaster.
"The
combustibility of facades and their various components is an extremely
complicated issue which needs detailed further investigation and guidance. I
therefore welcome the Secretary of State’s initiative to clarify the situation
regarding the combustibility of all materials in high-rise cladding
systems."
Graham Watts, CEO of
CIC said: “It is essential that the government makes a decision based on the
widest range of expertise across all dutyholders engaged in the design,
construction and management of high-rise buildings. This will take
time and so the unanimous view of members at our Conference was to allay public
fears and show leadership by urging the professions – as a whole – not to
specify combustible cladding systems on high-rise residential and other higher
risk buildings while the consultation is ongoing.”
CIC will make a
formal response to the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire
safety following two Council meetings in June, well before the deadline set by
MHCLG (end of July) and CIC will respond, in due course, to the consultations
on desk top studies in lieu of testing and on banning combustible materials in
cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings.
