Six months on from the tragedy that killed 71 people, officials have revealed a lower number of buildings than previously feared had similar cladding to that installed on the London tower block.
Urgent inspections were ordered after the blaze on June 14, with the cladding thought to be responsible for helping spread the flames which destroyed the building in just a few hours.
Building standards systems and regulations for high-rise domestic properties in Scotland mean that the specific type of Aluminium Composite Material which was used on Grenfell Tower should not be used in their cladding systems.
But across Scotland, 14 local authorities confirmed ACM has been used in cladding systems on 44 school buildings – 1.7 per cent of the school estate.
All of the buildings have since been deemed perfectly safe after modifications or further fire tests were carried out following initial inspections.
Glasgow City Council officials initially confirmed that 57 high-rise blocks in Glasgow had some element of ACM in their construction. In a dozen cases, the material was said to form a “substantial part of their make-up”.
However, following rigorous checks, it was found that just 19 buildings in the city had the cladding and all of them have now been deemed totally safe after modifications were made by the owners.
It is believed that many owners have taken additional fire safety measures as they feared the buildings would be difficult to rent or sell due to the Grenfell tragedy.
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “We’ve been working with the owners of these properties in order to be satisfied that they are safe as councils have a duty to evacuate a building which is a danger to residents or people nearby.
“In all 19 cases either the ACM does not present a risk, or the owners have taken steps to ensure that there is no ongoing risk.”
MSPs and ministers conducted inquiries into fire safety and building and planning standards in Scotland in the aftermath of the Grenfell fire.
In Glasgow alone, the council was asked by ministers to carry out a search of 14,000 building warrants of housing blocks over 59ft high by a ministerial working group on building and fire safety.
Grenfell Tower-style panels have also been removed from Scotland’s largest hospital.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde described the move at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital as a precautionary measure taken as a result of “public concern”.
Eyewitnesses described how Grenfell Tower “went up like a match” after flames spread from a kitchen fridge on the fourth floor to the outside of the 24-storey building in Kensington.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “No social housing high-rise buildings were found to have ACM cladding.
“At other buildings identified with ACM cladding, steps are being taken by the owners to remove and replace.”
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