Grenfell Tower – Shutterstock
Industry bodies have welcomed this week’s government announcement of plans to raise £4 billion to replace combustible cladding on buildings of heights between 11 and 18 metres.
The proposals announced by Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Communities and Housing, hold developers responsible to pay to fix the cladding crisis they caused.
Dame Judith Hackitt, who chaired the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety said: “[The] announcement by the secretary of state is very welcome and should come as a great relief to the many leaseholders who have felt trapped by the prospect of having to pay for remediating defects to properties which they bought in good faith.
“Those who caused the problem now need to step up, take responsibility and show some leadership. This problem has gone on for too long and we need a rapid solution, not months of debate and negotiation leaving innocent leaseholders in further limbo.”
Mike Robinson, chief executive of British Safety Council said the announcement was “a positive step forward as it will hopefully take the burden off many thousands of leaseholders facing large costs to replace unsafe cladding”.
He also said it was “right that the construction industry continues to play its part in helping to resolve these issues” and that the government must also “shoulder its own responsibilities, having overseen the regulatory framework that led to Grenfell and other similar tragedies”.
Robinson added: “We need to see all sides taking a positive and constructive approach to discussions between now and March.
“The sad truth is the funds announced today may also not go far enough. They will not pay leaseholders’ costs for other issues beyond cladding that aren’t included in these plans, such as balconies on a building that have been built with flammable material.
“The Grenfell fire showed how broad the building safety crisis is, spanning not just construction but design, manufacturing, fire safety and building management. However, there is no excuse for it having taken over four and half years to get to this point and these other issues also need to be approached with urgency.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said the proposals were "a step forward and it is encouraging that ministers are realising that the cost of cladding remediation should not fall on leaseholders. But it should not have taken anywhere near this long".
The spokesperson added: “In the four-and-a-half years since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, thousands of leaseholders have been trapped in limbo, suffering mental anguish at the prospect of enormous bills to put right building safety defects that were not their fault. The mayor has long been determined that leaseholders should not have to cover these costs and looks forward to working through the implications of this announcement for London with the secretary of state and DLUHC officials, to ensure that buildings can be remediated as soon as possible.
“Leaseholders living in buildings with non-cladding related defects will be deeply disappointed and distressed that [the] announcement will do nothing for them, as they face eye-watering charges to make their homes safe. The mayor is also concerned that a lack of any new public money for remediation will lead to future cuts in budgets for much-needed new social rented homes.”
Image credit | Shutterstock
