An apartment block on the Newcastle Quayside finally looks set to have its dangerous cladding removed, after being deemed eligible for cash to pay for the vital works.
Residents of St Ann’s Quay have been nervously awaiting the outcome of a bid to a government fund set up after the Grenfell Tower fire. Leaseholders have described feeling “trapped” and helpless to deal with the building’s numerous fire safety defects, with fears that they could be hit with bills totalling millions of pounds if the government did not step in.
But the building’s owner, the Adderstone Group, has now revealed that it has been successful in gaining access to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Building Safety Fund (BSF) and will work with Homes England to plan the removal and replacement of the combustible cladding. Adderstone Group, which acquired the 10-storey building in June 2021, said that it was initially rejected for the BSF but has now been accepted after an appeal was lodged last November – adding that the price of the remediation works is now likely to be in excess of £4m.
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However, the company has admitted that leaseholders may still be forced to pay some of the costs as certain repairs needed at St Ann’s Quay may not be covered by the government. As well as featuring some unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding similar to that which was responsible for the spread of the devastating Grenfell disaster that killed 72 people, the block also has timber balconies and problems with cavity fire stopping that would help stop a blaze from spreading.
Asked if leaseholders would face any charges, Adderstone told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Whilst we'll do everything we can to carry out the work with minimal cost to the leaseholders, there is a chance that certain works not covered by the grant will need to be covered by the service charge, such as balconies, but these costs will be considerably lower than the liabilities that would have been faced by leaseholders should our application have failed. All details will be communicated to the leaseholders as soon as we know more.”
It is not known at this stage how much money St Ann’s will receive from the BSF. The building, constructed by Robertson in 2003, comprises 91 flats and office space and is partially clad with combustible material at its upper levels.
Kate Grant, director of estates at Adderstone Group, said: “The safety of the residents and occupiers of St Ann’s Quay has always been our priority. Since the day we acquired the property last June, we have invested significant time and effort to prove that it met the criteria and that its cladding is eligible for government funding. At a cost of over £200,000 we assembled and managed a new project team of technical experts in order to provide further specialist evidence to support our Appeal. We funded these costs ourselves as we were confident that we had a valid claim.
“We are in the process of refurbishing the offices, which is the start of a comprehensive upgrade of space that has been empty for years, and with several new tenants about to move into the building, this is welcome news to everyone in St Ann’s Quay. We look forward to getting the works underway to give everyone peace of mind regarding the safety of their homes and our building.”
