Major exposure given to issues relating to External Wall Fire Review and EWS1 on LBC, combustible balconies recognised as part of the problem
The issues surrounding the External Wall Fire Review and EWS1 process received a spotlight on LBC radio this week, sparking a flood of reaction from callers and on social media from affected homeowners.
LBC journalist Rachael Venables first reported the story on the James O’Brien show on 24th August, relating how tower block residents in Zenith Close, Colindale, feel like “prisoners in their own homes” after being told their flats are worthless due to a B2 rating on their EWS1 survey.
When the clip was later shared by LBC on social media, many homeowners trapped in their properties reacted with their stories leading to additional reporting the following morning on the Nick Ferrari breakfast show on 25th August. Such a further overwhelming response from callers and social media was received that LBC revisited the story again on the subsequent James O’Brien show and then also on the Shelagh Fogarty afternoon show.
Many individuals called in to the various shows to share their distressing but increasingly familiar stories; that the EWS1 process had derailed their attempts to sell their homes and that there was apparently no resolution forthcoming anytime soon. It is clear that the EWS1 issue is affecting a great many people and that immeasurable distress is being caused.
Fire safety in buildings is absolutely essential. We cannot allow another Grenfell to occur and it is right and proper that strong steps are taken by all stakeholders in the construction and housing sectors to embed fire safety in the Nation’s homes. That said, the upheaval and anguish being caused by EWS1 is unacceptable.
AliDeck identified and reported on this looming issue recently and remarked at the time that the scale of the problem was vast when considering the number of buildings across the country that have combustible timber or composite in their balcony, terrace, or walkway elements. It comes as no surprise to us to see it gain so much traction when reported on national talk radio and we expect this issue to dominate the agenda until progress is finally somehow made.
The External Wall Fire Review/EWS1 process was developed as an attempt to solve the problem of lenders being unwilling to offer mortgages on properties that may have flammable cladding on their external envelope. Sadly, with shifting advice from Government in January 2020, many more buildings fell under the purview of EWS1 than ever anticipated, causing chaos in the process.
With regards balconies and EWS1, many surveys are failing as a result of combustible materials on balconies only and with not a scrap of flammable cladding or other issues on the building. In these circumstances the EWS1 form will be marked A3, indicating to the lender that combustible materials are present in the attachments to the building and that further remedial works are required. In almost all circumstances, this will lead to the lender declining to offer a mortgage on any properties in the building.
The only plausible solution currently available is to replace all combustible elements in the external envelope of buildings. These essential remedial works are complex and expensive, but until they are made the trapped leaseholders situation will continue as is.
On balconies, the task of replacing combustible materials is comparatively simpler than, say, replacing the flammable cladding on some building walls. There exists off-the-shelf, non-combustible balcony materials, such as the aluminium decking in the AliDeck range.
Many building owners are taking positive, proactive steps on remedial works and some we have spoken to are doing so in advance of EWS1 surveys to ensure their leaseholders are able to sell or re-mortgage their properties. With the increasing awareness of the issue as will come from reporting such as that by LBC, we hope and expect to see further positive action being undertaken in the country.
