Victoria Way emergency closure and hotel panel update

Date: 

Friday, 17 December, 2021

Julie Fisher, Woking Borough Council’s Chief Executive, said: “Woking Borough Council and joint venture developer, Victoria Square Woking Limited, continue to work with Sir Robert McAlpine, as the contractor responsible for the hotel exterior panel problem and its resolution, as well as the consequential impact on Victoria Way.

“Public and contractor health and safety is the top priority and this is rightly informing Sir Robert McAlpine's actions.

A spokesperson for Sir Robert McAlpine said: “Works have progressed to check all the exterior hotel panels and install additional temporary fixings where necessary. Approximately 2,000 of the 4,000 panels require these additional fixings. To date, we have remediated just over 500 panels.

“The remedial works require the use of external maintenance cradles, elevated work platforms and, where necessary, professional abseilers. To date, progress has been hampered by excessive wind speeds.

“To support the completion of the temporary fixings, additional cradles are being installed, the first of which is expected to be operational before Christmas. In conjunction with the cradles, scaffold access and landing platforms are being constructed.

“We have also applied for consent to carry out works over the Christmas break.

“We estimate these works will be completed by the end of January 2022, when we will be in a position, public safety permitting, to reopen Victoria Way to traffic.”

“Permanent remediation of the cladding is under review. Planning for these activities is being considered to ensure that the rest of the development can open to the public as intended in spring 2022.”

Julie Fisher added: “We continue to work with Sir Robert McAlpine to resolve this issue as a matter of urgency, whilst encouraging them to communicate openly and clearly as remedial works progress. This is in addition to engaging proactively with the highways authority, Surrey County Council, and ourselves in relation to environmental health, building control and highway related matters.”