The building features fully glazed external elevations made up of glass panels and its owner North West Ground Rents (NWGR) was last month ordered by a High Court judge to undertake permanent remedial works to the building. Problems had emerged with the structural sealant used to bond the glass panels to a unitised frame which was hung from the edge of the floor slabs of the building.
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Now Malcolm Naish, chairman of NWGR’s parent company Ground Rents Income Fund, real estate investment trust, has revealed that the cost of the works will be £4m excluding VAT.
Naish said: “Carillion was the contractor which constructed the building and from the date the faults in the façade were discovered in the summer of 2014, with its subcontractor BUG, began investigating the solution to the faults and how repairs could be put into place. These investigations and remedial work proposals were in the final phases of planning when Carillion went into compulsory liquidation in January 2018.
“NWGR is pursuing the proceedings it has already issued against Carillion through its insurers and the sub-contractor BUG, through existing warranties and indemnities, which, if successful, would greatly limit any potential liabilities or irrecoverable losses for NWGR.
“However, in order to comply with the judgment NWGR will be required to finance the remedial work and any litigation costs while seeking recovery from Carillion’s Insurers and BUG. There can be no guarantee that NWGR will be successful in that recovery, but it has received legal and expert advice which suggests that its case is strong.
“If NWGR is unsuccessful in its action against the original contractor’s insurers or the sub-contractor, it may be able to recover some of the remedial works costs from other parties.”
