Work to replace cladding at 170 high-risk homes in Woking borough is expected to get under way after contractors were approved.

Woking Borough Council received a regulatory notice in December 2023 over fire safety work needed for its housing stock.

Lakeview Estate, in Horsell, was judged to be among the highest risk and stripped of flammable cladding – with residents’ homes covered with temporary sheets to help keep out the water.

Now, following the March meeting of Woking Borough Council’s executive committee, work for a permanent fix at the 14 blocks is expected to completed within the year after it signed off on a company to see out the work.

Planning permission has already been secured and the council has approved two-year contract contracts with Amber Construction Services and Mulalley and Company see out the outstanding fire safety remediation.

The contract has been set for two years in case of any unforeseen work that arises.

Leaseholders will not have to pay for the cladding work – but the council is also carrying out general repairs to the blocks while scaffolding is up – which they will have to cover.

Final figures are expected in June. Councillor Ian Johnson, portfolio holder for housing, said: “We’ve got 170 to look at, it’s a lot of property, it’s important we get that done properly and there are a lot of risks if we don’t do it, and we don’t want any of those.”

Leader of the council, Cllr Ann-Marie Barker, said: “We moved to the point where it made perfect sense to get the windows and doors done at the same time as doing this, and get all that infrastructure stuff done. We were going to have the scaffolding up so get on with it and do everything all at the same time.

“Of course you’ve got to consult with the leaseholders because they won’t be paying for the cladding, but they will need to make their contribution towards basic infrastructure. It’s been very long and drawn out to get to this situation.”

She said there were further complications due to the way the blocks had been built, adding: “Each and every block, although built about the same time and look pretty much the same on the outside, have different construction methods and so there had to be a whole pile of different solutions found.

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“There’s got to be a design for each and every one.”