June 27 – Premier League newcomers have allayed fears over the safety of the Amex Stadium after it emerged the cladding for the stadium was produced by Reynobond, the manufacturer of the cladding used in the Grenfell Tower that was devastated by fire last week, claiming the lives of at least 79 occupants.
The club announced that precautionary checks are being carried out on the stadium and the nearby training ground but the material used was a Reynobond aluminium composite material, rather than the panels with a flammable plastic core used in Grenfell Tower
Brighton director Martin Perry said: “We are fully satisfied that the American Express Community Stadium is entirely safe and that the materials and building practices used during the construction of the stadium, and our training ground, are of the highest standards.
“In common with many hundreds of thousands of buildings across the country, part of our stadium does have a cladding system.
“It was inspected regularly while it was being constructed by both building control inspectors from the local authority and by our building contractor.
“Both signed it off as being installed entirely correctly and conforming fully to fire safety regulations.
“However, following the terrible events at Grenfell Tower, we are now taking the added precaution of working with our contractor and suppliers to re-check all of the materials used during construction, both at the Amex and at our training ground.
“This work involves checking paperwork dating back eight years in the case of the stadium, and four years for the training ground, and will be completed as quickly as possible.”
The Amex Community stadium was constructed six years ago and is undergoing a £5 million refit this summer to bring it up to Premier League standard with new facilities including new floodlights, a TV studio and gantry, a restaurant, hospitality area and greater media facilities.
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