Hannah Lucinda Smith spent six months investigating fire safety in tower blocks for a BBC documentary in 2010.
She says:
“Our findings were conclusive. Fire chiefs and safety experts all agreed that the vogue for cladding old concrete blocks with plastic fascia, removing asbestos and replacing steel window frames with ones made of UPvC cancelled out all the fire prevention measures that had been built into the blocks.”
This was all part of the “Decent Homes programme” launched in 2000. She adds:
“Billions of pounds of public funds were handed out to contractors to carry out the upgrades – £820 million in London alone.”
I have asked which blocks in Hammersmith and Fulham have had steel window frames replaced with ones made of UPvC since 2000 under the Decent Homes programme and I have been sent the following list:
1-6 ADELA HOUSE, Queen Caroline Street
9-16 ALDINE COURT, Aldine Street
17-24 ALDINE COURT, Aldine Street
25-32 ALDINE COURT, Aldine Street
33-48 ALDINE COURT, Aldine Street
1-8 ALDINE COURT, Aldine Street
1-15 ALEX GOSSIP HOUSE, Basuro Road
1-16 ALEXANDRA HOUSE, Queen Caroline Str
1-19 ALICE GILLIATT COURT, Star Road
20-39 ALICE GILLIATT COURT, Star Road
40-69 ALICE GILLIATT COURT, Star Road
70-77 ALICE GILLIATT COURT, Star Road
1-16 ARLINGTON HOUSE, Tunis Road
17-22 ARLINGTON HOUSE, Tunis Road
1-8 ASKHAM COURT, Askham Road
9-16 ASKHAM COURT, Askham Road
17-24 ASKHAM COURT, Askham Road
25-32 ASKHAM COURT, Askham Road
26 AURIOL ROAD
1-76 BARTON HOUSE, Wandsworth Bridge Rd
1-8 BENBOW COURT, Benbow Road
9-20 BENBOW COURT, Benbow Road
19 BENBOW ROAD
21 BENBOW ROAD
1-16 BOSWELL COURT, Blythe Road
1-12 BRANGWYN COURT, Blythe Rd
1-11 BRONTE COURT, Girdlers Road
2-40 BURLINGTON PLACE, Burlington Road
1-102 BUSH COURT, Shepherds Bush Green
10 BYAM STREET
1-24 CALCOTT COURT, Blythe Road
1-11 CARDROSS HOUSE, Cardross Street
1-20 CAROLINE HOUSE, Queen Caroline Stre
1-16 CHARLOTTE HOUSE, Queen Caroline Str
1-30 CLIFFORD HOUSE, Edith Villas
1-12 CLIFTON HOUSE, 127 Uxbridge Road
1-30 COBBS HALL, Fulham Palace Rd
1-18 COLERIDGE COURT, Blythe Rd
144-158 ev CONINGHAM ROAD W12
1-48 Cox House
25/27/29 CROMWELL GROVE
1-38 DRAKE COURT, Scotts Road
1-12 EDITH HOUSE, Queen Caroline St
1-20 ELEANOR HOUSE Queen Caroline St
1-24 ELGAR COURT Blythe Road
1-25 ELIZABETH HOUSE Queen Caroline St
1-8 ESSEX COURT
21-29 ETHEL RANKIN COURT, Landridge Rd
30-38 ETHEL RANKIN COURT, Landridge Rd
17-21 odd EYOT GARDENS
1-30 Falkland House
161-185 FLORA GARDENS W6
186-197 FLORA GARDENS W6
1-24 FROBISHER COURT 60 LIME GROVE
1-8 GIBBS GREEN, Beaumont Cresc
9-28 GIBBS GREEN, Beaumont Cresc
29-38 GIBBS GREEN, Beaumont Cresc
101-130 GIBBS GREEN, Beaumont Cresc
131-146 GIBBS GREEN, Beaumont Cresc
147-160 GIBBS GREEN, Beaumont Cresc
1-20 GLENALLAN HOUSE, North End Cresc
88-98 GODOLPHIN ROAD
165 GOLDHAWK ROAD
1-40 HENRIETTA HOUSE, Queen Caroline St
1-68 HERBERT MORRISON HSE Clem Attlee Ct
1-55 HORTON HOUSE, Field Road
1-20 ISABELLA HOUSE, Queen Caroline Stre
1-32 JOANNA HOUSE, Queen Caroline Street
19 KINNOUL ROAD
1-9 LAKESIDE ROAD
11/15 LAKESIDE ROAD
106-130 LANCASTER COURT, Darlan Rd
131-166 LANCASTER COURT, Darlan Rd
1-20 LANCASTER COURT, Darlan Rd
21-40 LANCASTER COURT, Darlan Rd
41-65 LANCASTER COURT, Darlan Rd
66-90 LANCASTER COURT, Darlan Rd
91-105 LANCASTER COURT, Darlan Rd
1-5 LINTAINE CLOSE, Moylan Rd
6-10 LINTAINE CLOSE, Moylan Rd
9/11 MACFARLANE ROAD
29/31 MACFARLANE ROAD
87-101 MACFARLANE ROAD
1-20 MARGARET HOUSE
1-18 MARRYAT COURT, Cromwell Ave
19-26 MARRYAT COURT, Cromwell Ave
1-6 MARY HOUSE, Queen Charlotte Street
1-24 MATON HOUSE, Estcourt Road
1-5 MELROSE GARDENS
2-6 MELROSE TERRACE
1-8 MORLAND COURT, Coningham Road
1-20 MORTIMER HOUSE, North End Road
2 MYLNE CLOSE, Upper Mall, W6
10-18 MYLNE CLOSE, Upper Mall, W6
1-9 PADDENSWICK COURT, Paddenswick Rd
1-24 PASSFIELDS
1-40 PELHAM HOUSE, Mornington Ave
1/2 PHILLIPA HOUSE, Queen Caroline St
1-15 PHILPOT SQUARE, Peterborough Rd
16-25 & 42-61 PHILPOT SQUARE, Peterborough Rd
26-41 & 62-69 PHILPOT SQUARE, Peterborough Rd
1-20 ROBERT GENTRY HOUSE, Gledstanes Rd
1-24 ROCQUE HOUSE, Estcourt Road
1-114 ROSEFORD COURT, Shepherds Bush Grn
1-24 SAMUEL RICHARDSON HSE, North End C
1-16 SCOTTS COURT, Scotts Rd
1-38 SHACKLETON COURT, Scotts Rd
1-102 SHEPHERDS COURT Shepherds Bush gree
1-4 SOPHIA HOUSE Queen Caroline Street
31 STOKENCHURCH STREET
1-48 SULGRAVE GARDENS W6
153-172 SULIVAN COURT Broomhouse Lane
213-227 SULIVAN COURT Broomhouse Lane
248-262 SULIVAN COURT Broomhouse Lane
298-315 SULIVAN COURT Broomhouse Lane
1-12 SULIVAN COURT Broomhouse Lane
263-282 SULIVAN COURT Broomhouse Lane
283-297 SULIVAN COURT Broomhouse Lane
444-484 SULIVAN COURT Broomhouse Lane
1-48 THACKERAY COURT Blythe Rd
1-16 THE GRANGE, 218 Goldhawk Road
1-36 THE GRANGE, Lisgar Terrace
110-126 WALHAM GREEN COURT Cedarne Rd
50-108 WALHAM GREEN COURT Cedarne Rd
49-95 WALHAM GREEN COURT Cedarne Rd
1-24 WALPOLE COURT Blythe Rd
1-25 WILLIAM MORRIS HOUSE, Margravine Rd
26-70 WILLIAM MORRIS HOUSE, Margravine Rd
1-114 WOODFORD COURT Shepherds Bush Green
The total cost of replacing the steel window frames with plastic ones was £7.54 million. The full breakdown of the cost is here. I have asked if there are any plans to remove the UPvC window frames. Given the Council’s refusal to install sprinklers in all blocks it seems to me that where there are plastic window frames there is a particular source of concern.
The total annual spending on having cladding applied to the council housing blocks under the Decent Homes programme since 2000 in Hammersmith and Fulham £2.13 million – on the Edward Woods Estate. Other blocks – including Shepherds Court – had insulation panels. But the problem of plastic window frames is more widespread.
Hammersmith and Fulham Forum 
What is far more concerning is that there has been years of evidence on risks in some buildings and despite this, nothing was carried out to alleviate the risks according to some of the FRAs read on the Shepherds Court building. Reports of risks, no follow through to be seen, appearing again in FRAs further down the line, again no follow through or indication that anyone was dealing with the problems! Windows were mentioned as well as some type of vent shafts which, if stay put policy was in place, seem to pose more of a risk as new indications are that the smoke can spread between floors and can move to lower floors causing smoke to build up. In two of the reports carried out there were indications that areas which should have been inspected could not be for various reasons but again no indication of what happened further on and whether access to these areas was gained later. The latest FRA certainly on at least one sister block not only has the wrong address for the building but clearly shows the wrong information for the block -stating that there are chutes on all floors and balconies – there are not! However, these exist in a block where most of the information appears to have been copied and pasted from – hence the address belonging to the first block which has the ‘new’ FRA and not to the Charecroft block. This is all extremely worrying, even more so because FRAs are being withheld and so not only will this type of thing remain hidden but no one can be held accountable. It is nothing but an outrage! Incidentally, the windows were also reported in earlier reports but again nothing showing whether anything was actually taken on board.