Housing association Notting Hill Genesis has enlisted Equans to deliver a £72m building safety upgrade to bring the Paragon estate at Brentford in West London back into use.

Three years ago, over 1,000 residents at a six-block housing and student accommodation development were forced to evacuate the estate due to fire safety concerns over cladding.

The major safety remediation programme will bring the homes back into use between 2025 and 2026.

Previous tenants were successfully supported to find new homes and move on with their lives, following the difficult decision to ask them all to leave the estate in October 2020.

Equans will carry out remedial works across all six blocks, enhancing fire safety measures, by installing much thicker insulation and a new façade.

Of the £72m investment, £36m will be spent on works to bring building services and finishes up to a modern standard, including the installation of sprinkler systems, upgraded mechanical, engineering, and public health systems, and completely refitted homes.

The work also includes a complete internal refurbishment to all areas, including new lighting, ceilings, furniture, flooring, and landscaping.

The Paragon Estate was developed by Berkeley First, part of Berkeley Group.

When built in 2007, the scheme which includes blocks ranging from 4-17 storeys, was hailed as one of the tallest modular buildings in the world with units delivered by now collapsed Caledonian Modular.