GHA appoints fire consultant in ‘critical role’ for Cour du Parc

Work has been taking place behind the scenes to prepare to replace the Kingspan K15 insulation with rockwool, following an official updating of insulation from a low fire risk to medium.

Guernsey Housing Association chief executive Victoria Slade said it had hoped to do the work this summer, but the process had taken longer than planned.

Tenders have been sent out and returned.

‘We have appointed a fire consultant – that role is critical and they have to be engaged from the start of the process,’ Ms Slade said.

‘So getting someone appointed was very important.’

The next step is to examine the tenders with the fire consultant and look at the timetable.

Replacing the cladding will be a big project, with scaffolding needing to be installed on the 10-storey structure. People will stay living in the property while the external work takes place.

The GHA had hoped to do the work over the summer, when the weather was better and wind was likely to be less.

However, Ms Slade said they now did need to look at the timetable. This would be happening over the next few weeks and the GHA will be contacting residents to keep them updated.

The GHA has previously stated that replacing the cladding was a ‘belts and braces’ move to make the building as safe as it could possibly be, and the building has a range of other safety measures already in place, such as sprinklers and fire alarms.

The GHA took on the block in 2012 and refurbished it, including the cladding. It now has 50 flats and can house up to 144 residents.