Mon, 05 October 2023
The London Borough of Hounslow and Hounslow Homes takes fire safety responsibilities very seriously. We would like to reassure our residents that we are doing all we can to minimise the risk of a similar incident happening in any of our high-rise properties. Immediately following the Lakanal House fire in Camberwell, we initiated a review of all or our fire risk assessments and over the past few weeks have commissioned a firm of specialist advisors to undertake new, detailed fire risk assessments. Their work started on 6 October, beginning with high-rise blocks and properties over three storeys high - the first high-rise blocks to be assessed include those in Brentford.
We now have the benefit of feedback from three investigations which have addressed the issues raised by the BBC's Surveyor.The Fire Service, our own technical team and the team of fire experts commissioned by Hounslow Homes have all carried out inspections at Cornish House in Brentford.Although two of the reports have still to be finalised, the interim findings given to us give us great reassurance that there is no need for alarm and that there is certainly no justification to categorise the block as "off the Richter Scale".
Over the summer months since the fire in Camberwell we have:
- Ensured our Health and Safety team and building surveyors have carried out urgent surveys to identify any obvious imminent risks and commissioned remedial works, including at Brentford Towers
- Issued advice to residents who live in flats
- Worked with the Fire Brigade to organise fire safety training sessions for our residents
- Initiated a regime of regular detailed estate inspections by caretakers and wardens with fire safety as their top priority