Uxbridge Road Closed Due To 'Loose Cladding' on Tower Block


21-storey Arc Tower believed to have been affected by high winds


Arc Tower on Uxbridge Road. Picture: Rightmove

Uxbridge Road was closed in the centre of Ealing this Tuesday evening (25 May) after cladding became loose on a tower block.

The affected building was Arc Tower a 21-storey residential tower at the junction with Craven Road.

It is understood that recent high winds may have been a factor in causing problems with the building which was constructed in 2016 and in which residents have paid over £1million for flats. One report suggests that it was scaffolding on the building erected to upgrade the cladding to meet fire safety requirements that came loose.

The police advised people to avoid the area and there has been substantial congestion in the centre of Ealing.

The building is understood to have contained defective ACM cladding similar to that in Grenfell Tower. This required remediation and leaseholders initiated a class action against the owner in 2018 when it was revealed the total cost could be £20million and each individual leaseholder could have to pay a bill of £100,000.

A walking watch was instituted in the tower which the leaseholders had to cover the cost.

The company which owned the building at the time, Frep (Ealing) Ltd had gone into liquidation.

The main contractor for the building was Gailliard. The developer also marketed the flats in the tower. When we approached the company for comment it declined saying it was neither the owner or the developer of Arc Tower.

There were about 450 other buildings in the UK clad with ACM at the time of the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 around two thirds of which were in London. A government funding package has enabled over a quarter to be reclad but the unsafe cladding still remains on many buildings.

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May 27, 2021