Ealing Council has awarded a £100m estate regeneration project to Rydon, the contractor who were the lead company on the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.

The contract will see the demolition of the 264-home High Lane estate, in Hanwell, and its replacement with a mixed tenure development of 450 new homes. The estate is due to be redeveloped in three phases between 2021 and 2027.

A spokesman for Ealing Council said Rydon was selected as a partner for the project in April 2017 after a three-stage competitive procurement process. It then signed a principal development agreement with Rydon in October 2019.

They stressed that the plans for High Lane will meet all current fire safety standards and there can be no comparison made with the construction methods or materials at Grenfell Tower. Residents have been fully informed throughout the process that Rydon is the developer on the project.

However, the spokesman added that the agreement “grants us the right to step in if for any reason Rydon cannot fulfil their contractual obligations on the project”.

By Patrick Mooney, Editor