'Important fire safety works' have been approved for a block in a well-known residential development in Cardiff. Cardiff Council has granted Savills, a UK real estate services company, permission to carry out work at Block F of Prospect Place to remove potentially combustible materials identified in a post-Grenfell review.
Background and Approval
The application was submitted on behalf of Bellway Homes, the UK housing developer which originally built the privately-owned estate. This comes after similar works were approved for Block A of the development in May.
Planning documents state: 'Following the Grenfell Tower disaster Bellway have undertaken a detailed review of all of their built schemes. This process has identified a number of buildings which are in part constructed with potentially combustible cladding material, including the aforementioned buildings. Bellway have committed to replacing the potentially combustible materials with appropriate alternative non-combustible materials.'
Having reviewed the external materials used in the construction of Prospect Place, Block F, Bellway identified areas requiring remediation to ensure compliance with the latest building fire safety regulations.
Approved Works
Works approved in the application include:
- Installation of '90-minute fire-rated cavity barriers'
- Replacing timber cladding and sandwich-board panels with non-combustible alternatives
- Removal of all 'combustible balcony decking' with a non-combustible alternative
- Inspection of the curtain walling system
- Replacing the insulated exterior wall finish
The application reads: 'In summary the works include the removal of the previously-installed combustible materials which have been replaced with non-combustible materials. All replacements will be like-for-like in appearance.' The proposed works are planned not to disrupt the building's 'appearance and character' as the works are for a 'like-for-like replacement that will be visually the same as existing'.
According to the applicant, the application was submitted to 'enable important fire safety works to be carried out'. The building is of contemporary appearance, characterised by its predominant use of cladding panels.
