The Chalcots estate

• IT has now been almost a month since Camden Council, on the recommendation of the London Fire Brigade, evacuated residents from four blocks on the Chalcots estate.

The tragedy of Grenfell Tower in Kensington has had a profound impact on our borough, nationally, and internationally, and we are committed to leading a new era in resident safety in Camden.

We have already taken action to test cladding on our tower blocks, repair internal issues at the Chalcots, as well as carrying out enhanced fire safety checks on every block in Camden.

With this ongoing hard work, residents are now starting to return to the blocks. You can always find the latest updates on our website at: http://camden.gov.uk/chalcotsestate.

We have committed to publish the Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs) for all blocks above 10 storeys. The first round, covering the five Chalcots blocks, have been published on the council’s website: http://www.camden.gov.uk/chalcotsfras.

Each FRA has a summary, as well as further information that explains any subsequent actions the council has taken. You can also read more in our frequently asked questions section.

We will also publish the FRAs for the remaining eight council-owned tower blocks with cladding.

The FRAs provide a snapshot of fire safety at the point in time at which they were carried out. They come with an action plan showing points that need to be addressed and the time scales which the report specifies for the completion of those works.

Our response is ongoing and together with the support of tenants, leaseholders and the fire service, a new director for resident safety and our new Fire Safety Panel, we will seek to identify and rectify fire safety concerns earlier, make all future fire risk assessments public, and adopt the latest guidance for safety in tower blocks.

I would like to add my sincere thanks to all of the volunteers and Camden staff, not forgetting our councillors, who worked around the clock to provide unyielding support for our Chalcots residents. You were brilliant.

CLLR PAT CALLAGHAN
Cabinet Member for Housing