Council bosses have assured that lessons were learnt from the Grenfell Tower tragedy, as they unveiled plans for a £1.3 million Perth and Kinross housing upgrade.
A major programme of external wall insulation will be rolled out to hundreds of private and local authority-owned homes across the region.
The project has been awarded Scottish Government cash and will target hard-to-heat properties with walls that are not suitable for cavity wall insulation.
It aims to slash energy bills and help end fuel poverty and is the latest phase of a wider programme launched in 2013. More than 1,100 private homes have already been insulated, as well as 750 council houses.
This year’s plan, which will cost £1,350,000, involves upgrading 184 private properties in Almondbank, Crieff, Stanley, Milnathort and Perth. A further 138 council houses will also be insulated.
Because of the way the scheme is funded, with additional ECO money from Scottish and Southern Energy, it has been possible to work on private homes without asking owners for a contribution.
The council’s housing and communities convener Peter Barrett has assured residents that the work will be carried out over cladding, following the recent Grenfell Tower fire in London where at least 80 people lost their lives.
“The recent tragic events in London have highlighted the importance of careful design and material specifications when retrospectively fitting insulation measures to buildings,” he said.
“The external wall insulation systems being fitted to these houses is very different from the rain screen cladding fitted at Grenfell Tower.
“The insulation materials, which are either non-combustable or flame redardant, are fixed directly to the existing wall surface and then completely enclosed behind new layers of non-combustable render.
“All of the designs are subjected to independent scrutiny by the council’s building standards team before approval is given to proceed.”
Speaking during a tour of recently insulated properties in Murray Crescent, Mr Barrett said: “This insulation work on hard-to-heat homes will make a huge difference to the lives of tenants and residents. It will mean that properties are warmer and that fuel bills will reduce significantly.
“Fuel poverty is still a problem right across Scotland and it’s something I want to focus on tackling in Perth and Kinross.
“Everyone has the right to live in a warm home and this programme is helping us to achieve that aim here.”
He said the work will also improve the appearance of the homes, bringing benefits to the wider neighbourhood.
