In August 2018, the tower was named as one of many nationwide that – once combustible cladding has been removed – revealed a ‘catalogue of fire safety failures […] hidden beneath’, with the British Board of Agrément (BBA) identifying that cladding was ‘not the solid aluminium panels agreed with the contractor’ and was combustible. As a result, Sheffield City Council (SCC) removed both the cladding and the insulation.
Later that year in December, the costs for removing and replacing the cladding were reported to be nearly £4m, which broke down as £455,177 for the cost of removal and £2.8m for building works reinstatement, with ‘no plans to reclaim this money from the original installers’ and extra work including installing new cladding and insulation alongside replacing damaged frame elements and ‘making good’ resealing.
In August 2019, former resident Michael Mullin – who had relatives living in the tower - voiced concern about the report into ‘whether the building was unsafe for a period of five years’, as it had ‘yet to be published […] two years after it was promised’. Mr Mullin carried out two years of research into the building’s fire safety, finding that resident safety was ‘put at risk’ between 2012 and 2017.
This was because SCC ‘didn’t know the specification of cladding panels’ installed, and he also claimed South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (SYFRS) had issued its stay put policy ‘during that time’, which meant ‘lives were put at risk’. He also claimed SCC planned to publish the report in 2017, but it had ‘still not been released’, and that a fire test undertaken in July 2017 showed a fire would spread throughout the building, housing 126 residents, ‘in just six minutes’.
In response, SCC claimed it had not carried out a test on the complete wall system, and was instructed by the government to send ‘any suspected aluminium composite material’ to them for testing, with this failing the test and thus replaced. It did not respond on why the report’s publication had been delayed.
The tower was the only Sheffield block to fail the government’s fire safety tests, with residents having been told to stay put between 2012 and 2017 – the period when it was ‘masked with’ what Mr Mullins said was ‘unsafe cladding’. SYFRS responded by noting that the council had already carried out work to ‘ensure the internal fire resistance between flats was suitable and sufficient’, while inspection officers ‘were satisfied that the compartmentation between flats was satisfactory’.
In January this year, despite having waited for over two years for the report, an objection meant it was delayed further, and most recently it was reported that residents ‘are still waiting for answers’. In June, hopes were raised after SCC said that it was ‘ready to release’ the report, with councillor Paul Wood claiming at the time that it was ‘finally ready’ and would be translated into different languages. Residents were to be asked if they would ‘rather read the report now, or wait until a meeting can be held in person’.
However, The Star has now reported that SCC ‘has still not given a date’ for the release of the report, with resident John Cawthorne stating that ‘I feel like they have been waving paper in front of my face and p***ing in my pocket. It’s disappointing but not surprising’. He had stated in June that it was ‘preferable’ to have the report ‘sooner rather than later’, and said that SCC has still not provided a date, with SCC asked to confirm if there was a date for its release.
It was also asked ‘if so when that was’, and how it would be released to both residents and the public, alongside whether a question and answer session would be provided; whether residents would have the opportunity to discuss it after reading; and which languages it would be translated into.
In response, Janet Sharpe, SCC director of housing and neighbourhood services, stated: ‘We are working hard to get the report ready for publication, which would have completed by now but has been delayed due to our response to Covid-19. As soon as we can we will complete the report and agree with the tenants the most suitable ways to share the findings with them before making the report public, which will be provided in different languages.
‘All tenants will have the opportunity to ask the council any questions on the report’s findings.’