Building safety: the 11 developers who have not signed Gove’s contract

Eleven developers have failed to meet the deadline to sign a building safety contract pledging to fix fire safety issues.

In parliament this week, housing secretary Michael Gove named and shamed the companies that have not joined the agreement aimed at addressing cladding issues following the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Although 39 developers have already signed the contract, which will commit them to fix unsafe buildings they developed or refurbished, 11 had failed to do so by the six-week deadline provided by the government.

“To those developers that have failed to sign the contract without good reason, let me be very clear – we are coming after you,” said Gove in the House of Commons. “If you do not sign, you will not be able to operate freely in the housing market. Your investors will see that your business model is broken – only responsible developers are welcome here.”

The companies that have yet to sign the contract are: Abbey Developments, Avant, Ballymore, Dandara, Emerson Group (Jones Homes), Galliard Homes, Inland Homes, Lendlease, London Square, Rydon Homes and Telford Homes.

The government wrote to housebuilders and mixed-use developers on 30 January, asking them to sign a new developer remediation contract by 13 March.

Under this legally binding document, companies will commit £2bn or more for repairs to buildings they developed or refurbished over the past 30 years. In addition to the Building Safety Levy, this means they will pay an estimated £5bn to make their buildings safe.

It also requires them to reimburse the taxpayer where government funds have already paid for remediation, with that money being used to make other buildings safe faster.

Signatories are required to fix all life-critical fire-safety defects in all buildings in England over 11 metres they had a role in developing or refurbishing.

“I have been clear all along – those that are responsible for this crisis must pay,” Gove said.

“So, I am grateful to those developers who have done the right thing today by signing this legally binding contract. We will be monitoring their progress on remediation very closely, to ensure this work is completed urgently and safely.

“For those developers that have taken responsibility, today offers the chance for a reset, so we can get on and build more of the safe, decent and affordable homes we so desperately need.”