Swindon: Paramount building cladding removal approved

The Paramount building will now have its cladding replaced

Flammable cladding on a block of town centre flats can finally be replaced more than six years after the Grenfell disaster led to safety recommendations.

Permission was granted in 2022 to remove the cladding on the Paramount Building on Princess Street in Swindon.

But a new proposal had to be put forward as the borough council had given permission to use a specific colour of cladding as the replacement, but it is no longer available.

A new material has now been approved.

The council's report says: "The proposal seeks to re-clad the building in order to meet safety requirements subsequent to new legislation in place following the Grenfell fire and Inquiry recommendations as required the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

"This has already been deemed acceptable.

"The previously-agreed colour finish has been discontinued and the proposed new cladding would result in the removal of the cedar cladding and replacement [using] a new walnut brown colour which is the closest possible match."

The report continues saying the building has external walls that include "a large portion of combustible materials" and the consequences of a fire has the "potential to be significant".

The work to remove the cladding will take place over the next few months

A spokesperson for the Paramount (Swindon) Management Company Ltd said: "We look forward to working with all parties to support the completion of the remedial works required at Paramount.  

"We welcome the news that remedial works have started, and we'll continue to do all we can to support leaseholders, including keeping them regularly updated as the works progress." 

Seventy-two people died when Grenfell Tower in London caught fire in June 2017, with the blaze spreading rapidly because of the flammable cladding.

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