High-risk residential building safety

The Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 led to the introduction of building safety regulations to reduce the likelihood of a similar tragedy. These were introduced into law as the Building Safety Act 2022.  

The Act identified what are known as ‘high-risk residential buildings’. These buildings have seven storeys or more, or are greater than 18 metres in height - sometimes these buildings are known as high-rise buildings or high-rise blocks. Within the buildings, there must be at least two residential homes.

The page contains information specifically for those buildings that would be classed as higher-risk residential buildings. In total, we own 148 of these buildings. This means Wandsworth has one of the highest numbers in the country.

Principal Accountable Person (PAP)

The Building Safety Act states that every high-risk residential building must have a Principal Accountable Person (PAP).

The PAP is responsible for ensuring that the building is properly managed to reduce the likelihood of fires and with mitigations in place in the event of a fire.  

The PAP is also responsible for the structural management of the building. The PAP can be an individual or an organisation that owns the building in question.

For all of Wandsworth's high-rise buildings, Wandsworth Borough Council is the PAP.

Address: The Town Hall, Wandsworth High Street, London, SW18 2PU.

Staff overseeing building safety

We have dedicated teams to oversee the safety of high-risk residential buildings.

Building Safety lead

Our Building Safety lead is responsible for ensuring that necessary building safety measures are in place, with action taken to reduce or remove risk.  

Contact: buildingsafetyteam@wandsworth.gov.uk.

Building Safety Inspections team

A dedicated Building Safety Inspections team also undertakes the day-to-day compliance measures for high-rise buildings.  

They follow a series of procedures and will highlight any identified risks that may require further action from our other services or external agencies.

Building Safety Resident Engagement Strategy

It is also a requirement to have a Building Safety Resident Engagement Strategy (RES) in place for high rise buildings. These are strategies that outline how residents will be kept informed about building safety decisions and how they can be involved in decision making about the building they live in.

You can view the strategy. 

The priorities set out are to:

• Keep residents informed
• Involve residents in decision-making 
• Listen and act on feedback

The strategy has been published following a public consultation throughout August 2024 and will be reviewed annually to see how we have been meeting the listed priorities. If, or when, changes to the strategy have been made, these will be communicated to residents living in high-rise buildings.

Fire Safety Steering Group

In September 2024, we held our first Building Safety Steering Group. The group is open to all council tenants or leaseholders who live in a high-rise building. It meets twice a year to review documents, including policies, strategies and communications materials.  

The Terms of Reference for the group were approved at the September meeting. You can also view actions and recommendations from the September meeting.

If you would like to become a member of the Steering Group, please contact the Building Safety Team.  

The next meetings of the Fire Safety Steering Group are:

• March 2025 (date TBC)
• September 2025 (date TBC)

Contact the Building Safety team 

If you have questions about any of the information included on this page, or would like to discuss structural or fire safety issues for your building, contact the Building Safety Team.