Plans to accelerate cladding remediation unveiled
The Government has introduced a Remediation Acceleration Plan to expedite the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding on residential buildings in England. The Plan is the first step in increasing the pace of remediation, but some of the measures will need legislation to come into effect. Public Affairs Manager, Eleanor Bateman, explains.
More than seven years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the slow pace of progress to remediate building safety failures means that many buildings remain unsafe. This includes the estimated 60% of buildings over 11 metres with unsafe cladding that have yet to be identified, according to the National Audit Office.
Increasing the pace of remediation
The previous Government faced criticism for its fragmented approach to safety enforcement, and delays in securing industry compliance. Now, the new Government has published a Remediation Acceleration Plan, which it says, “sets out a clear path to improving the situation for those living with the uncertainty of remediation”.
The Plan includes three objectives: to fix buildings faster; identify all buildings with unsafe cladding; and provide support for residents. It includes stricter timelines for remediation, requiring work on buildings with the most hazardous cladding (ACM) to begin by March 2025.
However, while publication of the Plan may suggest movement in the right direction, many of the measures outlined will require legislation to establish.
Greater support for enforcement
To ensure compliance, the Government will introduce a “clear and legal duty” for responsible parties to fix unsafe cladding on buildings of 11 metres and taller, with significant penalties, including potential criminal charges, for inaction.
To close gaps in its understanding of affected buildings, the Government will mandate their registration and tighten building assessment rules. By introducing transparency measures, such as disclosing ownership chains, it aims to make accountability more traceable.
Developers will be under stricter obligations to rectify safety defects in buildings over 11 metres in height, and the Recovery Strategy Unit will enforce compliance and impose penalties on those failing to meet their responsibilities.
A voluntary Joint Action Plan will commit developers to begin work on all eligible buildings by mid-2027 and adhere to a Code of
Practice to improve residents’ experiences during remediation.
Alongside this, local authorities, fire and rescue authorities, and the Building Safety Regulator will receive funding to double enforcement activities, supported by guidance and a Remediation Enforcement Support Fund.
Limitations and exemptions
Protections for qualifying leaseholders were extended in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act to enable residents to recover costs for interim measures, including alternative accommodation. The Plan clarifies that the Waking Watch Replacement Fund will be extended to March 2026, but there are no provisions for non-qualifying leaseholders, who remain excluded from cost protections.
The Plan also fails to recognise the need for urgent remediation of other (non-cladding) building safety failures.
Next steps
The Building Safety Levy, effective from Autumn 2025, will fund remediation costs by charging developers of new residential buildings.
However, the Plan does not stipulate when this legislation will be brought forward, and merely contains a commitment to do so “as soon as parliamentary time allows.” Updates on progress and further legislative plans are expected in Summer 2025.
We will continue to make the case that all buildings, irrespective of height or ownership, must be made safe, and that a Building Safety Remediation Scheme is needed to comprehensively tackle safety failures and ensure leaseholders are not held liable.
