Plans have been submitted to remove and replace dangerous Grenfell-style cladding from a block of flats in east Reading.

The cladding is on Hanover House, on 202 Kings Road.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed in November 2017 the building has the same cladding as the material which caused the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017.

READ MORE: Building covered in same cladding as Grenfell Tower shut over fire fears

The planning statement from Oxford Architects, on behalf of the applicant, states: “The existing cladding has been confirmed by the Berkshire Fire Service as potentially proposing a fire safety risk to the residents at Hanover House.

“The current building is therefore not providing a safe environment for its residents.”

Plans to remove the external cladding were approved previously in October 2018 but the permission expired one year later with no work having taken place.

The latest proposal seeks to both remove and replace the cladding, with a powder-coated metal cladding system which the Hanover House Residents Management Company says meets all necessary fire and safety requirements.

The proposed colour for the replacement cladding is Kingspan—Brown 0010, to match the current colour.

The car park was closed in November 2017 as a precaution as it is perceived to be a potential fire hazard, given its location directly under the building.

Hanover House is a six-eight storey building originally built for offices in the 1960s, which was recently converted into flats.

The building has a sprinkler system and does not have other issues that Grenfell Tower had, according to the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority.

An estate agent in Reading was fined £30,000 for delaying telling buyers of a flat in the block that there was the same cladding as Grenfell Tower.

READ MORE: Estate agent fined £30,000 for not telling buyers of Grenfell-style cladding until half an hour AFTER handing over keys

Hanover House is one of the four buildings in Reading that were found to have dangerous ACM cladding.

The other buildings are:

  • St Lawrence House, Abbey Square (social housing)
  • Queen’s Court, Queens Walk (student accommodation)
  • Crossway Point, Norwood Road (social housing)

READ MORE: Dangerous Grenfell cladding found at fourth building in Reading

The cladding at Lawrence House was removed at the end of 2019, while the cladding at Queen’s Court was removed in March earlier this year.

Work to remove and replace the cladding at Crossway Point was paused due to Covid-19 and is now expected to be finished in December 2020.

The government says it has provided £1.6bn for removal of unsafe cladding at buildings over 18m tall.