An insulation firm has had its ban lifted by the council in charge of Grenfell Tower, after it launched judicial review proceedings.
Siderise Insulation, which manufactured some of the cavity barriers used on Grenfell’s refurbishment in 2015-16, was banned from future work in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) in December last year.
The company initiated legal proceedings earlier this year against the council, arguing that its ban of Siderise products was “unwarranted” and “without foundation or justification”.
RBKC has now reversed its decision and removed Siderise from its list of banned suppliers.
“In response to the Grenfell Inquiry reports, we adopted a policy banning certain suppliers and other companies from being used in our building and refurbishment projects,” the council said in a statement on its website.
“This policy has been updated so that Siderise Insulation Limited is no longer listed as a banned supplier.”
Siderise told Construction News that “common sense has prevailed”.
“Following a judicial review process, Siderise is pleased to confirm that RBKC has removed Siderise from a list of suppliers banned from being used on the council’s building and refurbishment projects,” it said.
“This decision reflects the fact that Siderise, as supported by the findings of the Grenfell Inquiry report, in no way contributed to the fire or its spread [on 14 June 2017]. Siderise was appalled by the dreadful disaster and loss of life at Grenfell Tower, and our sympathies continue to go out to the survivors and families of the bereaved.”
RBKC banned the use of Rydon, Arconic, Celotex and Kingspan on its projects in 2021 and last year extended the prohibition to include five other firms, including Siderise.
The Grenfell Inquiry phase two report, published in September, said Siderise manufactured the Lamatherm cavity barriers used in the refurbishment of the tower.
It added: “Although there is no evidence of any dishonesty on its part, some aspects of its marketing materials gave cause for concern. It also supplied cavity barriers for use in voids larger than those for which they had been tested.”
Last December, the UK government announced it was initiating plans for a public procurement ban on any firms involved in the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
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Nicola Harley