WORK to replace cladding on an Oxford tower block will be complete by November, the city council has said four years after the Grenfell Tower fire.

Cladding on Hockmore Tower was not originally identified as unsafe in the aftermath of the Grenfell fire in 2017, and it was not until 2019 that Government guidance said it needed to be removed.

Replacement of the cladding, known as high pressure laminate cladding or HPL, is set to be complete in November, according to a statement issued by the council on the fourth anniversary of the tragedy in North Kensington which claimed 72 lives.

Cladding has been removed from other tower blocks in Oxford which are owned or managed by the city council as council housing.

ALSO READ: Hole drilled in Didcot door believed to be attempt to 'gain access to property'

In a statement issued on the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell fire, Diko Blackings, Oxford City Council's cabinet member for affordable housing, housing security and housing the homeless, said: "One Grenfell is too many. Enough is enough.

“I would like to take this opportunity to reassure tenants and leaseholders in our tower blocks that Oxford City Council are doing all we can to ensure their safety. As someone who was born and lived here in my early childhood years in a high rise council flat, this is a matter very dear to me."

Two of Oxford's tower blocks, Evenlode and Windrush in Blackbird Leys, have already undergone cladding removal and replacement.

Oxford was apparently one of the first council's to start a programme to remove unsafe cladding in 2018.

Plowman Tower, Northway and Forresters Tower, Wood Farm, only needed minor works as the large part of new cladding was not considered unsafe.

The HPL cladding at Hockmore Tower is used as a 'rain screen'.

Works to replace were due to begin in January 2020, but there were delays to the project caused by the pandemic and preparatory works.

ALSO READ: Anneliese Dodds brands Tory MP's comments about travellers 'hateful'

In October last year, the city council said the cladding is mounted on a special support frame around the building, alongside solar panels.

While only 40 per cent of it originally needed to be removed in its plans, it will now strip all the cladding and replace it with a safe alternative.

Cabinet member Ms Blackings added: "“This year we have replaced sections of high pressure laminate cladding which no longer meet safety standards on the balconies at Evenlode and Windrush towers, and are in the process of replacing HPL cladding at Hockmore Tower. By the time this work is complete in November, all five of our tower blocks will feature non-combustible sheet aluminium cladding and mineral wool insulation.

“We remain determined to protect the physical, mental and financial wellbeing of tower block residents who need to feel safe, supported and secure in their homes.”"