Call to halt construction of high-rise buildings

By Pippa Crerar, The Evening Standard, 27 June 2017

Ministers faced calls today for a moratorium on all new tower block construction in the wake of the Grenfell disaster, until their safety can be guaranteed.

The influential Housing and Finance Institute think tank said the future of existing high-rise blocks should also be reviewed to consider whether they should be demolished instead of repaired.

The HFI report, authored by former Government housing adviser Nathalie Elphicke, called for a dramatic rethink on the number of tall buildings that are shooting up across the capital.

Ms Elphicke, chief executive of the HFI, said: “Following the Grenfell tragedy, we must urgently review the future of high-rise tower blocks in our cities.

“Not only should we enact an immediate pause on the construction of new blocks that haven’t yet started, but we should actively consider whether we would be better off simply demolishing the existing buildings identified as being at risk instead of repairing them.” She claimed one million new homes could be built in London by 2022  without putting up new tower blocks. Instead, homes could be built at greater density and in low- and mid-rise developments, with a shift in focus beyond the centre of the capital.

Link to full article: Stop building new tower blocks until safety can be guaranteed