Housing and Regeneration Minister Rebecca Evans has announced £3million capital funding to enable Newport City Homes to replace cladding on three tower blocks in the city.
The three residential high-rise buildings are the only ones in the Welsh social housing sector confirmed as having Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) systems corresponding with those which failed large-scale combustibility tests.
Rebecca Evans said: “Since the terrible events at Grenfell Tower last year, we have worked closely with local authorities, building owners, managers, both the private and third sectors and others to gather a full and accurate picture of high-rise residential buildings in Wales, and to ensure that owners and agents are aware of Government safety guidance and taking necessary action.
“Newport City Homes acted quickly to safeguard residents, putting in place a number of fire safety measures, including fitting sprinklers. Now it’s our turn to support them with this investment, which will enable Newport City Homes to continue their commitment to resident safety, without compromising their vital plans to build more social housing in the city.”
Welcoming the news, Newport City Homes board chair Nicola Somerville said: “We are delighted that Welsh Government has granted us this money and that our voice has been heard.
“The Minister has listened to our concerns and those of Newport. I would like to commend her for working in partnership to ensure that our work on making the tower blocks even safer does not impact on other essential initiatives in Newport. This is an excellent example of partnership working and agile public services in action.
“It builds upon the intense resident-focussed work we have already carried out in the last year, including retrofitting sprinklers in each of the tower blocks.
“Since that fateful day last June, we have been clear on our purpose to inform and reassure our residents, and their response has been positive.
“This funding from Welsh Government means we can continue to focus our resources on delivering communities in which people want to live, keeping the residents at the heart of everything that we do.”