Housing safety: External Wall Systems Identification

In conjunction with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and as part of our information gathering on high-rise residential buildings, we are collecting information on the external wall systems of all residential buildings 18m or higher in Newham. In particular, we are interested in the combination of external wall materials and insulation and the external wall structures on these buildings. 

Shortly after the fire at Grenfell Tower, the government appointed an expert panel to provide advice on building safety measures. In January 2020, the Independent Expert Advisory Panel on Building Safety issued an advice note on external wall systems. This guidance can be found in Advice Note - Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, Multi-occupied Residential Building on the gov.uk website. The Independent Expert Advisory Panel advice states that if the external wall systems do not pass the listed safety requirements, then the building owner should seek professional advice and consider remediation measures.  

The Council’s data collection exercise is focusing on residential buildings 18m or higher including: 

• Social residential buildings 
• Private residential buildings 
• Student accommodation buildings 
• Hotels  

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