The specific type of cladding used on Grenfell Tower is now banned, five years after its use contributed to the fire that claimed the lives of 72 people. The Government has announced the cladding will no longer be allowed on buildings of any height in England, after years of calls for it to be banned by campaigners.

The metal composite material panels with unmodified polyethylene core, known as MCM PE, are the same type that were on London tower block when it caught fire in June 2017. Investigations later revealed that the make-up of the cladding, which was on the outside of the 24-storey tower block, contributed to the tragedy by acting as a chimney allowing the fire to spread.

A total of 72 people were killed and another 74 injured in the blaze, which took more than 250 firefighters and 70 fire engines to bring under control.

The new ban comes after the Government issued new fire safety guidance on 1 June, tightening the rules on the cladding which had previously only been banned from use on buildings higher than 11 metres. The Government will also restrict the types of cladding material used on buildings between 11 metres and 18 metres in height, to prevent their construction with combustible materials.

Housing Minister Lord Greenhalgh said:

“We have introduced the biggest improvements to building safety in a generation, under the Building Safety Act. These changes will support our tough new regulatory regime – ensuring fire safety measures are incorporated into new high-rise homes and all new residential buildings meet the same safety standards. It does not end here and I urge the industry act quickly to update their practises in line with these new rules.”

Under the measures announced by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, all new residential buildings over 11 metres will have to include a secure information box that will give fire services access to important details about a building in the event of a fire.

New residential developments over 18 metres will also have to incorporate an evacuation alert system to help firefighters inform residents of a change in evacuation strategy, during an incident.

The scope of a ban on using combustible materials on buildings higher than 18 metres has also been extended to include hospitals, hotels and boarding schools.

The National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) Protection and Business Safety Committee chair, Gavin Tomlinson, said:

“NFCC especially welcomes the introduction of emergency evacuation alert systems in new buildings over 18 metres. We also support the inclusion of Secure Information Boxes in buildings over 11 metres, which will give fire and rescue services access to important details about a building and its residents in the event of a fire. On the changes to building regulations, we are encouraged that unsafe MCM PE cladding panels are banned on all buildings and that the government has promised stronger safety standards for the use of combustible materials on external walls.”

Despite the ban, it is estimated that more than 50 high-rise buildings in the UK still have the same highly-flammable cladding as Grenfell Tower. In total, 486 buildings over 18 metres tall were found to contain the aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding identified by the Grenfell Inquiry as the leading cause of the 2017 tragedy.

Work is still to be completed on 111 of them while it has not even begun on 31 buildings and 58 still have the cladding intact. This is despite a Government target that all dangerous cladding materials should be removed by June 2020.