Consultation on banning combustible cladding published

Housing Secretary James Brokenshire has published a consultation on banning the use of combustible materials on the external walls of high-rise residential buildings which are 18 metres or over.

The government wants to ensure that there is no doubt about which materials can be used on high-rise residential buildings following the fire at Grenfell Tower last June, where the cladding used was unlawful under existing building regulations and should not have been used.

Residents, industry and other interested parties will now be able to have their say on proposals affecting the safety of homes, with the consultation seeking revisions to ban the use of combustible materials in the inner leaf, insulation and cladding that are used in external wall systems on these buildings.

Brokenshire said: “The Grenfell Tower fire was an appalling tragedy and we must do everything we can to ensure a disaster like this never happens again. I have listened carefully to concerns and I intend to ban the use of combustible materials on the external walls of high-rise residential buildings, subject to consultation. The cladding believed to have been used on Grenfell Tower was unlawful under existing building regulations. It should not have been used. But I believe that the changes on which we are consulting will offer even greater certainty to concerned residents and to the construction industry.”