Hockmore Tower: Work to replace cladding begins

Work on Hockmore Tower was due to start in January but was delayed

Work to replace the cladding on a tower block that failed a fire safety test is due to begin.

Oxford City Council announced the £1m project to replace the high-pressure laminate (HPL) rain screen on Hockmore Tower last summer.

Work was due to start in January but was delayed while architects reviewed safety measures.

The safety of retro-fitted cladding came into question after 72 people died in the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.

The council and the fire service have said the eight-floor block is safe to live in for the time being, due to the sprinkler system and other measures.

The HPL rain screen, which covers about half the tower, will be replaced with sheet aluminium.

Alterations to the scheme agreed last year include the removal of solar panels, as current advice states they should not be on the side of buildings more than 59ft (18m) high.

It means the "structural support system holding the cladding in place across the building will need to be altered", the council said.

'Safe and secure'

The expected four-month scheme will now take a year to complete.

A small amount of rain screen will also be removed from the Evenlode and Windrush towers in Blackbird Leys, the authority said.

The cladding was installed on all the towers between 2016 and 2017 as part of a £22.5m council project to improve the buildings.

Mike Rowley, cabinet member for affordable housing, said: "From the outset we listened to the advice of the fire service and went above and beyond the government's rules, installing sprinklers in every flat, new fire detectors and new fire doors."

He said the council was "committed to improving our existing homes so that families can feel safe and secure to live and build their lives in Oxford".