All flammable cladding in Bradford removed in wake of Grenfell

This comes as the Government has announced developers must agree a £4 billion plan to fix dangerous cladding on low-rise flats by March.

The long-running saga came in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy in 2017 when 72 people died; initially leaseholders were told they would have to pay to replace cladding and other fire safety systems that were not up to scratch.

But now Housing Secretary Michael Gove has told developers they must cover the full cost of replacing cladding, rather than flat owners being forced to fork out thousands on the remediation work, in the latest Government U-turn.

Gove will also push developers to take responsibility for all building safety defects rather than just cladding, a leaseholder said following a meeting today.

Cladding at Landmark House being removed last year

He said it was time for those with “the big bucks, the big profits” to act to remedy the fire safety risks, or face new laws forcing them to.

Two buildings in Bradford city centre, Landmark House and Appleton Point, were identified as having flammable cladding in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: "The recladding works to both Landmark House and Appleton Point have now been completed and certified by building control.

“The building owners applied directly and were provided with grants from the government so the council has no costs to recover.”

120 students were evacuated from Appleton Point after it failed an inspection

Students were evacuated from their Appleton Point flats in February 2019 at short notice after it failed a fire inspection, while fire wardens were installed at Landmark House.

The Home Builders Federation has said while leaseholders should not be expected to cover the costs of replacing cladding and other defects, manufacturers of the faulty materials should also be forced to pay for the remediation works, along with councils and housing associations, rather than just developers.