Residents living in a landmark waterside development in Greater Manchester that was found to have flammable cladding have called on the building’s developers to pay to make it safe from the risk of fire.
Leaseholders living in the NV Buildings in Salford Quays – a £35m housing development built by the collapsed contractor Carillion – were told by Greater Manchester fire and rescue service that the blocks had failed post-Grenfell fire safety checks.
They fear they could be forced to pay to have the cladding removed from the three blocks and have urged the project’s original developer, Countryside Properties, to foot the bill.
Peter Brown, who lives in the NV Buildings, told Construction News: “We have 246 leaseholders in the NV Buildings who through no fault of their own are stuck in the middle with no one taking responsibility.
“Developers have stepped up like Barratt Homes, Mace and Taylor Wimpey, who said it was morally [the] right thing to do, and not [simply something that] was legally required. The onus has to be on Countryside to take responsibility and do the morally right thing.”
The call from the Salford residents comes after a tribunal ruled that owners of flats in nearby Vallea Court and Cypress Place in Manchester’s Green Quarter had to pay for the replacement of flammable cladding – at a cost of £10,000 each – through their service charge. The buildings, which include 345 flats, were developed by the Australian company Lendlease.
Last month, it was announced that the developer Mace would cover the full costs of removing Grenfell-style cladding from its £225m Greenwich Square project in south-east London. Earlier this year, Barratt Developments also announced it would pay for new cladding on the Citiscape block in Croydon despite a tribunal ruling that the costs should fall on the leaseholders.
There are thought to be about 300 privately owned blocks in the UK with flammable cladding similar to that fitted on the Grenfell Tower. Only four developments have so far had the cladding fully removed.
The NV Buildings in Salford Quays were designed and built in 2004 by the construction company Carillion, which was contracted to do so by Countryside Properties. A spokesman for Countryside said: “Safety is our priority. At the time of completion, NV Buildings received all relevant approvals. Countryside takes very seriously the matter raised by residents at NV Buildings.
“We have launched an urgent investigation with the design team, requesting a comprehensive review of the building’s design and construction. This process is ongoing and we will keep residents informed on the outcome of the review.”
