MSP COLIN BEATTIE WELCOMES EAST LOTHIAN COUNCIL’S CLADDING CLARIFICATION

​Today Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, welcomed confirmation from East Lothian Council that it does not own any high rise domestic stock at which cladding, such as that in use at Grenfell Tower in London, could be in use.
 Mr Beattie wrote to East Lothian Council following last week’s disastrous fire in London, which so far has seen 79 people dead or missing presumed dead and many more unaccounted for.
East Lothian Council confirmed that it does not own any high rise domestic stock (defined as those which have a floor higher than 18m above ground level). Further, the Council confirmed that, of the Registered Social Landlords who responded to the Council’s enquiries, one identified a high rise domestic block in Dunbar which has not received any rainscreen cladding treatment.
The Council noted, while its Building Standards Division does not hold a record of all private sector properties, from knowledge within the team no applications have ever been received for any high rise domestic properties meeting the criteria over the last 25 years.
Mr Beattie said:
‘The fire at Grenfell Tower is one of the worst crises to occur in modern history. The true scale of needless deaths will probably never be known.
‘My thoughts are naturally with loved ones and friends and relatives of anyone affected by the fire, and I’m sure everyone throughout East Lothian and all across Scotland feels the same way.
‘If nothing else, the people of East Lothian can now be reassured that the disaster in London is very unlikely to happen here. I appreciate the swift response from the Council to my letter, and we can only hope that the Council’s high standards are being met by other public bodies across Scotland and the UK.’
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