- Cladding Safety Scheme opens to give thousands more buildings
access to government funding to fix dangerous cladding for the
first time
- All buildings in England over 11 metres now have a pathway to
fix unsafe cladding, protecting innocent leaseholders from
remediation costs
- Eligible developers given 60 days to respond to invitation to
join Responsible Actors Scheme committing to make buildings safe
- Regulators have warned building owners they will face robust
enforcement action if they stall on remediation
The government has announced its biggest building safety
intervention to date as part of a wider package of measures to
help end the building safety crisis across England.
The full opening of the Cladding Safety Scheme
(CSS), announced in a speech by Housing Secretary , means that costs associated
with removing unsafe cladding in mid-rise buildings will now be
covered by government funding, protecting leaseholders from costs
where the responsible developer cannot be made to pay.
It is estimated that thousands more mid-rise buildings will
qualify, giving tens of thousands of residents across England a
pathway to a safe home, with no cost whatsoever to leaseholders
in the building.
The CSS will be funded by both the £5.1 billion allocated by
government to fix the most dangerous buildings and through
revenue from the Building Safety Levy on new development.
The scheme will be available to all medium-rise buildings between
11 and 18 metres across England and high-rise buildings over 18
metres outside of London where fire safety professionals have
recommended that works must take place. The scheme will also be
available to the social housing sector.
All building owners who believe they are eligible for funding
need to apply through Homes England Cladding Safety
Scheme application
portal.
Any leaseholders or residents living in a building they think is
eligible for funding will be able to provide further information
about their building using Homes England’s ‘Tell Us tool’.
Peter Denton, Chief Executive of Homes England, said:
The Cladding Safety Scheme pilot was an important step in
removing the cost burden on leaseholders trapped in unsafe homes
and built on the progress made on building safety.
The full rollout of the programme allows us to go even further.
Our team is ready to go, and we expect thousands of buildings to
benefit over the next decade.
We will continue to work with DLUHC to ensure the pace we’re
working at is maintained, so we can bring peace of mind and
protection to the millions of people whose lives have been
affected by unsafe cladding.
The opening of the CSS means that costs of fixing dangerous
cladding for all buildings in England over 11 metres will now be
covered either by government funding or by developers who built
them.
Earlier this year, the Secretary of State secured
the signatures of 49 of the
country’s biggest housebuilders on his developer remediation
contract – a major step toward ending the building
safety crisis.
The developers all put pen to paper on the legally binding
document and committed themselves to fix unsafe buildings they
developed or refurbished in England over the 30 years to 5 April
2022. The government has now written to eligible developers to
invite them to join the Responsible Actors Scheme giving them 60
days to respond. Eligible developers who choose not to join, or
who join the Scheme but then renege on their commitments, will be
prohibited from carrying out major development or obtaining
building control approvals.
While funding is a major part of solving the crisis, it is also
important that residents see swift progress once work has been
deemed necessary. The government has been clear that there is no
excuse for unsafe cladding to be left unmanaged. Building owners
must meet their legal obligations to fix fire safety defects in
their buildings and make homes safe quickly.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the
Building Safety Regulator, the Local Government Association, and
the National Fire Chiefs Council have today published
a joint statement committing
to work together to enforce the remediation of fire safety
defects, underlining their commitment to see buildings made
safe faster. Building owners who continue to stall can
expect to face robust enforcement action from regulators, with
the full support of government behind them.
Further information
The Greater London Authority will continue to deliver remediation
to London-based 18m+ buildings through the Building Safety Fund.
Buildings in England already progressing through the Building
Safety Fund will not be transferred into the new CSS but their
progress will remain unaffected.
