Image: Cypress Place and Vallea Court
A row over an estimated £3m bill to replace ‘Grenfell style’ cladding on two Manchester residential blocks will go to a tribunal.
Lendlease was the original developer for Cypress Place and Vallea Court in the Green Quarter, which comprise 345 flats and were completed in 2013, before selling the freehold to investment firm Pemberstone in 2015.
But a 2017 test revealed aluminium composite cladding (ACM) with unmodified polyethylene filler (category 3) on the buildings. Work to replace the panels is due to start in spring 2019.
Now the residents are locked in tribunal proceedings with Pemberstone, which wants an independent determination of who should pay to replace the ACM panels, the same type as was used on the Grenfell Tower.
The residents claim they had to crowdfund £11,000 to get their own legal advice to provide a response at the tribunal, which took place on 13 June. An outcome is expected at the end of July.
Regardless of the result, leaseholders said they would like to see either Pemberstone or Lendlease foot the bill.
They highlighted the recent example of Barratt Developments, which decided to pay the estimated £2m cost of recladding the Citiscape development in Croydon, despite a ruling that residents should pay.
Vallea Court
A spokesman for Pemberstone said: “As a landlord, we have made an application to the first tier tribunal for an independent determination on several issues including the responsibility for the costs of replacing some of the cladding following government and fire service guidance.
“As a well-established forum for landlords or leaseholders, the tribunal is used to establish clarity on issues that affect the management of a residential building and its service charge. They are particularly appropriate for large schemes like this where there are 345 apartment owners, some of whom are investors located overseas.
“We believe that an independent decision from a tribunal is in the best interests for all concerned and should allow us to establish a clear way forward. In the meantime, considerable work is being undertaken by our team on the design and scoping out of the work that will be required.
“We became the landlord of the buildings in 2015. This was after the blocks had been fully constructed and all of the flats had been sold by the developer.”
Lendlease declined to comment and directed CM’s enquiries to Pemberstone.
Katie Kelly, owner of one of the Green Quarter apartments, said: “The way the whole situation has been handled from taking us to a tribunal which we will likely have to pay for, to taking over a year to even begin work to make our homes safe is crazy.”
