Council seeks contractor to replace flat cladding

Work to replace cladding on 170 homes in Woking has taken a step forward after contracts for the work were put out to tender.

Woking Borough Council received a regulatory notice in December 2023 over fire safety work needed for its housing stock.

Lakeview Estate in Horsell was judged to be among the highest risk and stripped of its flammable cladding, with residents' homes covered with temporary sheets to help keep out the water.

Following a meeting of the council's executive committee, the timeline for a permanent fix at the 14 blocks remains unclear, after it put out formal tender bids for a company to do the work.

Planning permission has already been secured and the council has extended two-year contracts with Amber Construction Services and Mulalley and Company for fire safety remediation works.

A preferred contractor for works will potentially be appointed in May, says the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Leaseholders will not have to pay for the cladding work, but the council is also carrying out general repairs to the blocks while scaffolding is up which they will have to cover.

Leader of the council, Ann-Marie Barker, said: "We moved to the point where it made perfect sense to get the windows and doors done at the same time as doing this."

She said there were further complications due to the way the blocks had been built, adding: "Each and every block, although built about the same time and look pretty much the same on the outside, have different construction methods and so there had to be a whole pile of different solutions found.

"There's got to be a design for each and every one."

Correction: This story was updated on 26 March following new information making clear that the council has put the cladding work out to tender rather than approving contractors

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