Unsafe cladding removed from Slough apartment block as repair costs rocket to £10million

Unsafe cladding on a block of flats in Slough has been removed but a number of significant defects are still being discovered on the building, a council meeting heard this week.

Nova House is a seven-storey apartment block in Buckingham Gardens which failed a Government cladding safety test in June 2017 in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster in London.

Slough Borough Council stepped in to purchase the company which owns the freehold to the site - Ground Rents Estates 5 Limited (GRE5) - in October 2017.

A meeting in June last year learned that fire safety costs could spiral to £17.8million to make Nova House safe.

An overview and scrutiny meeting yesterday (Thursday) heard an update on the Nova House project from council officer Fin Garvey.

He said that since the main works commenced in August, the team have 'made some significant progress', but had also 'encountered some significant challenges along the way'.

The removal of unsafe cladding has been completed, Mr Garvey said, while all internal entrance doors to each apartment have been replaced.

"Working our way through these particular challenges, a number of other defects have emerged along the way," he added.

These have included structural defects, such there being no bracing on the building's 'super-structure', which typically prevents 'lateral movement'. 

Fire-related defects have also been uncovered, Mr Garvey said. 

He added: "These significant issues have been discovered as part of the ongoing works in addressing the cladding issues.

"All of this is building up to a much more challenging project in terms of how all these defects are addressed effectively along the way."

Councillor Fiza Matloob (Lab, Baylis and Stoke) asked why none of these issues had been identified previously by building control officers.

Mr Garvey responded: "That is being looked into extensively as to how anyone could sign off the building. 

"A lot of reports have been commissioned in relation to the degree of negligence involved in that.

"It is quite clear to anyone who looks at that building carefully that there are numerous defects which are non-compliant with building regulations and we are discovering more as we go along."

When asked about the cost of the refurbishment, Mr Garvey informed members that the total spent so far was in the region of £10million, with about half of that spent on recent construction works.

During the last financial year, the council and GRE5 agreed grant funding of £9.3million from Homes England for development costs. 

A 24-hour walking watch team is also required to keep an eye on the building day and night.

Mr Garvey was also questioned about whether it would be easier to demolish Nova House and rebuild. He said that these options were 'always being considered'.

"At the moment we are confident that this is the right course of action, but there is obviously going to be a trigger point along the way," he said.

"As the risk of further cost implications arise, there is always going to be a consideration as to whether there is an alternative, better route."

Mr Garvey also told Thursday's meeting that GRE5 and the leaseholders are engaged in legal proceedings with the insurance backed warranty provider for the building.

Mediation proceedings to address the insurance claim are expected to take place in May 2022.