Cladding remediation update
The latest figures published by DLUHC show that, of the 483 high‐rise residential buildings identified to have unsafe ACM cladding:
- Remediation work has been fully completed on 316 (65%)
- Work has been completed and is awaiting Building Control sign off on a further 56 (12%)
- Work has started on 80 (17%)
- Of the remaining 31 (6%), 16 have a remediation plan in place, 14 are intending to remediate and one doesn’t have a clear remediation plan.
The Building Safety Fund for the remediation of unsafe non‐ACM cladding systems received 2,827 registrations, 30% of which have now been invited to apply for funding, with 6% in the process of having their eligibility assessed.
Funding for cladding remediation
Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has reached an agreement with developers that will see them commit a minimum of £2 billion to fix fire‐safety issues with their own buildings. To date, 36 of the UK’s largest homebuilders have pledged to fix all buildings over 11 metres that they have played a role in developing over the last 30 years, and Gove has urged other developers to sign up, stating that those who refuse to do so could be prevented from building and selling new homes in the future. Alongside this, the Government has confirmed plans to extend the Building Safety Levy to be paid by developers on all new residential buildings in England, which is expected to raise up to £3 billion over the next decade to support remediation works.
Gove has also written to the product manufacturing sector, expressing his disappointment at its failure to make a public funding commitment and reiterating that the Government will do ‘whatever it takes’ to make sure they are held to account through the powers established in the Building Safety Bill.
RICS updates EWS1 Forms
RICS has updated its EWS1 form to confirm that all assessments of external walls should now be carried out in accordance with PAS 9980. Whilst the Government has stated that buildings below 18 metres do not require an ESW1 form to be completed, RICS guidance continues to advise lenders to ask for EWS1 forms on buildings of six storeys or fewer where ACM, MCM or HPL panels are present.