The apparently endless saga of the Hilton hotel’s exterior cladding took another turn last Saturday when Victoria Way was closed in both directions after panels were dislodged as Storm Darragh ripped through Woking.
Woking Borough Council quickly issued a statement which read: “Following continued high winds caused by Storm Darragh, exterior rainscreen panels on the lower levels of the hotel development were dislodged early this morning [Saturday 7 December] and further panels are at risk.
“In the interests of public safety, an exclusion zone has been created and Victoria Way is closed in both directions. There are no reported injuries, damage to vehicles or other buildings.
“Surrey Fire and Rescue, police, building control officers and representatives from construction contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine, are currently on site assessing the situation.”
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Issues with the panels and their fixings stretches back three years to October 2021 when several panels fell from the building, resulting in long-running remedial works, road closures and diversions.
It was feared that there had been a further cladding failure just over two weeks ago when Storm Bert hit Woking, forcing yet another closure of Victoria Way, but the problem was movement in an exterior panel on level 7 of the Green Car Park. The road was soon reopened.
This time, though, video on social media showed loose panels on the Hilton swinging in the high winds.
A spokesperson for Victoria Square Woking Limited, developer and asset manager of Victoria Square, added: “As soon as the strong winds subside, engineers will survey the building using a maintenance cradle and secure any loose exterior panels.
“Once this has been done, and the emergency services are satisfied, the exclusion zone will be removed and Victoria Way reopened.
“Victoria Square Woking Limited and its construction contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine, apologise to residents, visitors and workers for any inconvenience caused, and are committed to resolving this issue as quickly as possible.”
By Sunday afternoon the worst of Darragh had passed but the storm over the panels refuses to blow over.