Government's Commitment to Building Safety Post-Grenfell

Major building safety reform has been announced in response to the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. Secretary of State Robert Jenrick made a series of updates this week concerning the Building Safety Programme, including the Government's response to the Building a Safer Future consultation. The Government's view is that removing unsafe cladding from buildings is critical to public safety and must remain a top priority.

New Appointments to Support Cladding Remediation

Dr David Hancock, the Government's construction expert, has been appointed to review ACM remediation. Faithful & Gould, expert construction consultants, have also been appointed to provide additional programme management capability. Their role will be to identify blockers and work with those responsible for remediation to support individual projects.

£1 Billion Fund to Tackle Unsafe Cladding Materials

Last month, the Government announced a £1 billion fund for 2020/21 to support the remediation of unsafe non-ACM cladding materials on high-rise buildings. The Government aims to make this funding available as quickly as possible and plans to publish the prospectus in May, opening for registrations soon after.

Upcoming Legislation and the National Building Safety Regulator

The Government is still working on five key areas, including new legislation. The Government will legislate for these reforms through the Building Safety Bill, which will introduce a new, national Building Safety Regulator. This Bill puts residents' safety at its heart and is set to deliver the biggest change in building safety for a generation.

Changes to Building Regulations and Fire Safety Measures

Updates to Approved Document B and increased fire safety measures for high-rise flats are now complete. Sprinkler systems and clear wayfinding signage will be compulsory in all new high-rise flats over 11 metres (that’s four storeys and, depending on design, some three-storey buildings too).

The Importance of EWS1 Forms for High-Rise Buildings

It is now impossible to get a mortgage on a building over 18 metres (around five to six floors) without an EWS1 form. The government is working with lenders to establish a rational approach to lending on buildings under 18 metres, meaning that some lenders may require an EWS1 form even for shorter buildings. The Government is supporting an online industry-led portal through the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to make the process of obtaining these forms simpler in the future.

IF you are having trouble selling because you need an EWS1 form please email fm-helpdesk@ringley.co.uk