As well as this interim report by Dame Hackitt on building regulations and fire safety below, there are a number of other actions/initiatives being taken.
Hackitt_Review_Interim_Report_member_briefing
NHBC
The NHBC is one of several private sector organisations to provide building control services – signing off building plans as compliant with the relevant regulations. It also provides warranties to 80% of new build homes in the UK.
Cladding from a number of privately owned and social housing blocks has failed the government’s fire safety tests and the owners are now deciding what action to take, with several opening legal proceedings over who should pay for the work
London
The mayor of London has called on the government to cover the “immediate costs” of removing cladding from tower blocks in London “to prevent lengthy legal disputes” over who should pay for the work.
The mayor cited the Cityscape tower block in Croydon, where leaseholders could face a £2m bill to remove and replace dangerous cladding.
Manchester
Manchester council working with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to gather information on all tower blocks across the city – both private and social – and chasing fire safety information for 19 privately owned blocks where it has not heard back from the owners or property managers.
The council wrote to the owners and property managers of 215 privately owned buildings in November, with 12 of these buildings confirmed to have aluminium composite material cladding.
The Council is considering sending out formal enforcement notices to owners or managers of private tower blocks that have failed to provide any fire safety information on their buildings.
Committee into desktop fire assessments
The government has asked the British Standards Institution (BSI) to examine the future use of ‘desktop assessments’
The expertise of the committee investigating the fire have drafted in more experts from the plastics industry, so those engaged in a first meeting which is about to happen include::
- Association for Specialist Fire Protection
- Building Research Establishment
- British Plastics Federation
- Construction Products Association
- Sustainable Buildings Division, Department for Communities and Local Government (now the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government)
- Engineered Panels in Construction
- Exova Warringtonfire
- Fire Brigades Union
- Institution of Fire Engineers
- Insulation Manufacturers Association
- Local Authority Building Control
- London Fire Brigade
- National Fire Chiefs Council
- Phenolic Foam Manufacturers Association
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
- University of Edinburgh