Plans submitted to replace unsafe cladding at Reading flats

The owner of Queens Wharf, on 47 Queen’s Road, are seeking permission to replace the cladding at the apartment and offices block.

Today is the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, which happened on June 14, 2017, killing 72 people.

The discovery that combustible ACM cladding helped the flames spread led to a nationwide debate about fire safety in tall buildings and means unsafe cladding on any residential building over 18m must be replaced.

PICTURED: Today is the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy

READ MORE: Grenfell tragedy a 'story of careless decisions,' says bishop

This could also be extended to 11m, under new government plans.

The latest plan to replace unsafe cladding in Reading

The owner of Queens Wharf have applied for a certificate of lawfulness to confirm if planning permission is needed or not to replace the cladding at the building, which is a mix of flats and offices

StanLil submitted the application to Reading Borough Council (RBC) on May 17, although the plans have only just gone live on the planning portal.

The building is taller than 18 metres, which means any combustible cladding must be replaced, while £3.5 billion of Government funding has been made available for replacement cladding on buildings over 18m which are residential, 

As well as replacing the existing non-compliant cladding system installed to external walls and installing a new compliant cladding system, “like for like”, timber decking on balconies will be removed and replaced.

StanLil has not applied for planning permission as the developer is hoping it can undertake the works without needing this type of approval.

The cladding is not Grenfell-type but is another type of combustible cladding.

In pre-application discussions, a planning officer told the developer: “The works could require permission if they materially alter the appearance of the building, or if the works are controlled by a planning condition attached to the original permission.

“We have had various planning applications for re-cladding recently, although each case will be different. It should not be assumed that the works you propose do not require permission.

“However if you believe that the works are either not development, or are Permitted Development, you may exercise your rights and proceed at your own risk.

“If you need formal confirmation that permission is not required you may choose to apply for a certificate of lawfulness.

“We are not able to issue informal letters of comfort I’m afraid.

“The most straightforward route may be to apply for planning permission. We do our best to deal with these fire safety cases quickly as far as possible (depending on the quality of the submitted application).”

Other buildings where cladding is being removed

Combustible cladding is being removed from sites across the town, which are mostly tall apartment blocks.

The council has approved plans to replace cladding at the following apartment blocks:

Q2, Watlington Street

The Honister and Hewitt buildings at Chatham Square, 20-40 Alfred Street

The Hunsaker, Hermitage, Halcyon, and Haywards buildings at Chatham Place, Alfred Street

The Meridian apartment block on Kenavon Drive

A recent application was also submitted seeking to replace dangerous cladding at two hotels.

READ MORE: Dangerous cladding to be removed from town centre hotels

There are also four buildings in Reading which were found to have Grenfell-type cladding.

The cladding has been replaced at three of these buildings:

• Lawrence House (social housing)
• Queen’s Court (student accommodation)
• Crossway Point (social housing)

Works are only still need to be finished at Hanover House (private flats), with planning permission was granted in October 2020.

The works at Hanover House started at the end of 2020 and are currently expected to be completed by the end of 2021.