Council removes insulation from two blocks after discovery it is made by Grenfell Tower supplier

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter

A council has ordered the removal of insulation from two blocks which was made by a company whose products were used in Grenfell Tower, after a contractor failed to tell them about it.

Kensington and Chelsea council (RBKC) said Lawtech had used K-Roc insulation, made by Kingspan, on Adair and Hazlewood Towers in North Kensington without their knowledge.

Building inspectors for the West London authority found the product, which is said to be non-combustible, in 16 balconies during a walk-about on July 7. The council immediately ordered Lawtech to replace it and cover the costs.

RBKC has banned the use of Kingspan products after the Grenfell Inquiry questioned the building materials firm’s safety certificates.

It has also barred contractors from working with or using any of Kingspan’s products or services, although there’s no evidence that K-Roc insulation itself is dangerous.

On Tuesday, residents at Adair and Hazlewood Towers were sent a letter by RBKC declaring the product had now been removed.

A letter to residents in the blocks said Lawtech had confirmed K-Roc had not been used in any other parts of the buildings. But residents still said they fear the insulation may unknowingly be in other parts of the building.

Darren Turner, who has lived in Hazlewood Tower for 25 years, said: “We don’t trust them [RBKC and Lawtech]. Scaffolding has already been removed from some sides, how do we know this contractor hasn’t used Kingspan there?”

The council’s lead for Grenfell and housing, councillor Kim Taylor-Smith, said: “Our officers discovered a Kingspan product on 16 balconies as part of an inspection on Friday July 7, 2023.

“We instructed Lawtech to remove it immediately. This has now been done and will be replaced with the originally specified product, Rockwool.

“Lawtech’s use of Kingspan is an absolute breach of our instruction and trust. I am deeply disappointed and have asked for a full explanation of how this has happened.

“I expect Lawtech to make an apology to our residents. We made a public commitment in 2021 that the council would no longer contract with Kingspan, nor would we allow our contractors to subcontract with them or allow its use by any subcontractors on any projects in the borough. We stand by this commitment.”

The council said it will be carrying out spot checks across both buildings and promised an independent review of all works once they have been completed. Lawtech said it identified the material during a routine quality control check with RBKC inspectors.

A statement on behalf of Lawtech Group Ltd’s directors said: “The installation was to an isolated area and it was removed on the same day the inspections identified the ‘Kingspan’ brand insulation board. The use of Kingspan boards was an isolated error and these boards have not been used anywhere else on the works.”

They said the mineral wool Kingspan boards that had been used were A1 non-combustible and equivalent to the Rockwool insulation approved for the project.

They added: “[The boards] posed no risk whatsoever to any resident. However, Lawtech fully accept that RBKC’s ban on the use of products was unfortunately breached in this isolated incident which was immediately identified and promptly rectified.”

A spokesman for Kingspan said: “Purchasing decisions are a matter for building owners or their contractors or agents and Kingspan confirms it was not involved in the specification of Hazlewood or Adair Towers.

“In common with most manufacturers, we sell through complex supply chains involving retailers, distributors, developers and professional services providers, as such we have very little visibility of end purchasers or projects. K Roc is a non combustible insulation, and can be safely used in a wide number of applications.”

Pictured top: Hazlewood Tower in North Kensington covered in scaffolding in December 2022 (Picture: Adrian Zorzut)