A major milestone in the £10m refurbishment of the Royal Borough's Grenfell Tower in North Kensington has been reached with the appointment of the construction company Rydon to carry out the work.
Funded by the Royal Borough as part of the wider £57m regeneration of the area which will see it transformed by 2016, the contract has been awarded by Kensington & Chelsea TMO (KCTMO), which manages the block on behalf of the Council.
The large scale works will include an upgrade of the cladding to the exterior of the building, new windows and a totally new heating system. All of this will greatly enhance the energy efficiency of the tower.
Seven much needed new homes will also be created from unused spaces. In addition there will be new facilities for the nursery and the Dale Boxing Club.
Rydon was appointed under strict OJEU (Official Journal of the European Journal) guidelines. KCTMO required a contractor that could demonstrate outstanding resident engagement in similar tower block refurbishments.
Fay Edwards, Chair of KCTMO, which manages the tower on behalf of the borough, said: "I'm delighted that we have been successful in appointing Rydon. I sat on the tender panel and was involved in the interview process. Residents of the tower have long had to put up with a sub-standard heating system and poor insulation and this has affected the quality of their lives. The new heating system will mean they can adjust the heating to their own needs for the first time."