The latest figures show a high proportion of properties across London still require simultaneous evacuation plans – a measure used when fire safety standards are deemed too inadequate for residents to “stay put”.
The issue affects 1,448 buildings, including 883 high-rises over 18 metres tall. The rest are lower-rise blocks that also fail to meet the necessary fire safety requirements, often due to concerns about cladding, fire doors, windows, or compartmentation.
The “stay put” policy – which relies on a building’s ability to contain a fire within a single flat for at least an hour – was fatally exposed during the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017, where 72 people died.
Stay put – which was the initial advice for Grenfell tower and which remains the fire policy in most high-rise buildings – relies on a building being properly constructed. Regulations should prevent fire spreading from one flat to another for at least 60 minutes.
‘Still going to sleep in unsafe homes’
Edward Daffarn, a former Grenfell resident and member of the campaign group Grenfell United, said the findings exposed a continued lack of progress.
“Eight years ago, standing underneath the burning wreckage of Grenfell Tower, I was convinced it would be the catalyst for societal change; that something so awful, which resulted in the horrific loss of 72 lives, could not happen without things changing.
“And yet we sit here eight years later and people are still going to sleep in buildings that aren’t safe.”
Mr Daffarn, who escaped from the 16th floor of Grenfell, called for the tragedy to be a legacy for safer social housing.
“We need to create a legacy for Grenfell that means that people that live in social housing, people that live in high-rise blocks, are treated with respect and live in safe buildings.”
Grenfell survivor Edward Daffarn escaped the 16th floor on the night of the fire
PA Wire
The anniversary of the fire, on Saturday, is especially significant as demolition of the tower is set to begin soon.
“I think the anniversary is made all the more poignant by the fact that this is the last time that we will meet with the tower in situ,” Mr Daffarn said.
“We haven’t got justice yet. It feels wrong to be pulling the tower down while so much remains unresolved.”
Campaigners have long pushed for criminal charges to be levelled against companies involved in the refurbishment and oversight of the building.
The Cabinet Office confirmed in February seven companies were facing possible bans – cladding firm Arconic, insulation firm Kingspan, former Celotex owners Saint-Gobain, fire inspectors Exova, design and build contractor Rydon, architect Studio E and subcontractor Harley Facades.
It is understood investigations were launched into all of them in March, looking into whether any engaged in professional misconduct for the purposes of the Procurement Act 2023, potentially leading them to be debarred from public contracts.
No timetable has been given for any potential decisions, including bans from future public contracts.
Police and prosecutors have said their inquiry is expected to run into late 2025, with charging decisions not likely before the end of 2026, nearly a decade after the fire.
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A deep dive into the Grenfell tragedy will expose never before seen failures that led to the fire
Netflix
Bereaved families say the prolonged wait for accountability is “unbearable”. Mr Daffarn expressed hope that a new Netflix documentary about the disaster, due next week, will add pressure.
“It needs to put pressure on the government to ensure that the companies involved are not able to access public funding, and I’m hoping that this documentary will accelerate that process.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government acknowledged delays in remediation:
“[We] have been clear that the pace of remediation has been too slow for too long.
“That’s why we are taking decisive action through our Remediation Acceleration Plan to fix unsafe buildings by 2029 faster, while we continue to support residents and identify buildings at risk.”