Welcome to this week’s building safety bulletin. This page sets out some of the most significant latest developments affecting developers, leaseholders, contractors, housing providers, and anyone else interested in the UK’s building safety crisis.
1. Developer remediation contract deadline
While only 39 companies had signed by the deadline, an extension allowed others to sign up. Industry reports indicate all or almost all those targeted will sign up eventually. Leaseholder groups are already complaining that the initiative does not cover all those who have been accused of shirking their responsibilities. Monday was the intended closing date to sign the government’s legally binding remediation contract, obliging developers in England to fix ‘life-critical fire-safety defects’ resulting from the ‘design and construction’ of buildings with heights of 11 metres and over in the last 30 years. In the immediate term, failure to sign up has resulted in public ‘naming and shaming’. If the government is sincere about its ‘radical approach’ of threatening to intervene in the market, this will result in significant restrictions on developers being able to proceed with new developments. As of Friday, 42 developers have signed the contract. There are currently eight developers (Abbey Developments, Avant, Dandara, Emerson Group, Galliard Homes, Inland Homes, Lendlease and Rydon Homes) that have not
2. Responsible Actors Scheme (RAS)
Last Tuesday, Michael Gove informed MPs that he will publish details on the new Responsible Actors Scheme (RAS) this week. Those developers who don’t sign the remediation contract will be barred from joining the Scheme, which will, according to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), enable the Secretary of State to ‘block developers who have not signed the contract or failed to comply with its terms from carrying out development and from receiving building control approval’.
3. Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget
Last week saw Jeremy Hunt deliver his Spring Budget in Parliament. The Chancellor’s statement indicated that DLUHC will be working with the Treasury to establish new Investment Zones. For anyone affected by building safety defects, the Budget didn’t offer any assurances.
4. Awareness about the Building Safety Act
Results from a survey by National Building Specification (NBS) suggest there is a concerning level of awareness about the Building Safety Act 2022. According to the study, 43% of industry professionals are ‘unclear’ on the details of the Building Safety Act, while 31% of professionals are ‘unsure’ which projects would be covered by the legislation.
5. Hackney Council wants to go further on second staircases
Hackney Council has called for a second staircase mandate to apply to ‘all’ buildings above 18 metres. Currently, the UK government’s plans for additional staircases only cover buildings over 30 metres. These calls for more stringent measures follow on from the closing of DLUHC’s consultation on staircases, sprinklers and the remove of national classifications from Approved Document B at 11.45pm on Friday.
