Agenda item

To consider recommendations concerning a fire door replacement programme.

COMMUNITY AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES COMMITTEE

(Randall Keith Anderson)

13 December 2019

Fire Door Replacement Programme

Following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower in 2017, the City of London Corporation began an extensive review of the fire safety of its social housing estates. Early on it was determined that the front doors of many units did not meet present standards and were a significant risk to the compartmentation of the units. Therefore, the City of London Corporation made a public commitment to embark on an enhanced front door replacement programme. The vast majority of front entrance doors in the City’s residential blocks were as originally installed and had reached the end of their useful life. This project proposed a programme of works to provide replacement doors which will give up to 60 minutes fire resistance; with 30 minutes as an absolute minimum if 60 minutes was not achievable or appropriate. 

The quickest route to getting the fire doors up to standard simultaneously, across multiple sites, was to procure the works on an estate-by-estate basis. The cost difference between this and procuring a single contractor was believed to be negligible. The cost of the fire door replacement programme was expected to be £8,954,000 (comprising of £7,964,000 works costs and £990,000 for fees and staff costs) to be funded by the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and the Court was recommended to approve the progression of the project. The works would also include the replacement of front doors to long leaseholders’ flats, which were also the City Corporation’s responsibility.

Resolved – That the progression of the HRA Estates Fire Door Replacement Programme to ‘Gateway 5’ of the City of London Corporation’s Projects Procedure (Authority to Start Work) be approved, at a cost of £8.954m (comprising £7,964,000 works costs and £990,000 for fees and staff costs), funded by the HRA.