Leaseholders at 14 residential blocks in Woking will face “significant” costs after the critical cladding and maintenance work was finally approved and a preferred contractor agreed.

Papers presented to the council executive noted that: “In 2024, the council removed combustible cladding from the 14 blocks at the Lakeview Estate in Horsell following a fire risk assessment. A temporary external covering and insulation system was installed to maintain weatherproofing and warmth. This solution was designed only as an interim measure and has a limited lifespan, which has already required some remedial works.

“Alongside the external wall systems, a number of other elements across the estate are now at or beyond their design life. Roof coverings, windows, and doors are showing widespread defects, resulting in poor thermal performance, water ingress, and higher maintenance costs. A comprehensive refurbishment programme is therefore required, not only to replace external walls but to address associated building fabric and mechanical/electrical issues.”

To save future costs it was decided to repair other issues on the estate but the scale of the problems could leave leaseholders carrying the can, and any plans to help them are still at discussion stage.

The council has said the 85 affected leaseholders will at least be spared the costs of the cladding work but warned they could face “significant sums” for the rest.

The BBC has reported one resident saying he will need to pay £30,000 for the work.

Officers have spoken with those living on the site, and the leader of the council has said it was “very important to us to find the best possible way we can enable them to be able to deal with these costs”.

Councillor Ann-Marie Barker said: “As a ward member for Lakeview, I’m pleased we are starting to make some progress. It does seem to have been quite a slow, drawn out thing.

“It’s really important to me and the rest of the executive that the council covers the cost of the cladding repairs and that we only ask the leaseholders to pay for the (maintenance) that would have come due.

“It would have been pointless to say ‘oh we’ll fix your cladding now and then we’ll come back in two years time’, put all of the scaffolding up again, cause disruption to do this additional work.

“But I know leaseholders are facing some significant sums being requested here and it’s very, very important to us to find the best possible way we can enable them to be able to deal with these costs.”

The work will be carried out in phased block-by-block steps and is expected to start at the end of this year, or early next year.

There will be new insulation measures and significant improvements in building safety and energy efficiency.

The council has said it recognises the proposed works are substantial and charges may be significant for some leaseholders.

It has pledged to carry out a review of its financial support measures and will publish a report in November on what could be offered to affected leaseholders.