Celebrating- Completed Cladding Work

16/10/2024

There was much Joy and Relief as we celebrated the completion of the Cladding remediation contract at The Salmon Youth Centre and Davoll Court, September 2024

There was joy and relief expressed at the recent celebration to mark the completion of the cladding remediation contract for Salmon Youth Centre (SYC) and Davoll Court. The guests of honour included Althea Loderick, Chief Executive of Southwark Council and the Bishop of Woolwich, Alastair Cutting. Thanks were expressed to the principal consultants, Hart Dixon LLP and the contractors Guildmore Ltd, as well as to everyone involved in resolving this complex issue. The capital funding had come from the Government’s Building Safety Fund via the Greater London Authority (GLA).

Speaking at the celebration event, Adrian Greenwood, Chair of Trustees reminded those present that the non-compliant, combustible cladding which had been removed and replaced was on the block of flats adjoining the Centre which had been procured by Hyde Housing Association between 2007 and 2010 and which was home to 26 leaseholders. The organisation of the work had fallen to SYC to carry out as the freeholder of the site on which Davoll Court stood. With Hyde’s original contractor having gone into administration in 2010, the capital cost had been covered by a grant from the Government’s Building Safety Fund. But during the 4 years that the project had lasted, SYC had incurred approx. £400,000 worth of additional running costs, mostly higher insurance premiums caused by the presence of the combustible cladding on Davoll Court.

During the year 2023/24, while the works were progressing, SYC delivered 840 youth work sessions with nearly 1,600 children and young people attending 17,500 times in what totalled nearly 46,000 contact hours and nearly 8,500 hot meals.

Adrian concluded by saying that the completion of the cladding remediation contract was a cause of great rejoicing for both the leaseholders in Davoll Court and for all the children and young people who attend the Centre in that the existential threat to the future of SYC had been removed. The need and the opportunity for working with so many children and young people goes on as confirmed by the closing speaker, one of SYC’s young leaders, Fifi.

Detailed Notes: In 2020, Hyde Housing informed Salmon that the cladding on Davoll Court was combustible and non-compliant and needed to be replaced.  SYC was responsible for dealing with the external cladding by reason of it being the freehold owner of both sites; notwithstanding that it was not involved with the design or procurement of the Davoll Court building; that was Hyde Housing. After the initial shock, Salmon set to work on applying for a Building Safety Fund (BSF) Grant from the Government via the GLA. In December 2020, Salmon appointed Hart Dixon as lead consultants and project managers. A full survey was commissioned and reported in April 2021. In September 2021, the GLA gave permission to work up the scheme. Detailed tenders were received in May 2022 and formally accepted in November 2022. The main contractor chosen was Guildmore Ltd. and the contract sum was £4.1m. Preliminary works ran through the spring of 2023 and the main contract started in June 2023. Practical completion was achieved in September 2024.  All current indications are that the project will come in within the total grant approved by the Building Safety Fund.

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