The government will launch today (2 December) a scheme to fix all unsafe high-rises in government-funded schemes by the end of 2029.
The Remediation Acceleration Plan will set concrete targets for building remediation in England and propose “significantly tougher” penalties for building owners that refuse to take action.
Under this scheme, all buildings over 11m with unsafe cladding will either have been remediated or have a date for completion by the end of 2029.
Every higher-risk building (those of 18m high and above) with unsafe cladding in a government-funded scheme will have been fixed by that date.
The plan will implement ‘advanced data assessments’ and create a ‘comprehensive building register’ to identify all buildings with unsafe cladding in England.
It will be backed by investment in enforcement to help the Building Safety Regulator, local authorities and fire and rescue authorities deal with casework.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government expects to have reviewed 95% of the 11 million-plus building stock by late 2025.
The government will also publish a joint action plan with developers to speed up their work to fix buildings for which they are responsible.
At least 29 companies, covering more than 95% of the buildings being remediated by developers themselves, have committed to double the rate at which they have been assessing and starting to fix unsafe buildings.
If this pace of work is maintained, remediation work on all the buildings they are responsible for will start by summer 2027.
‘Remediation too slow for too long’
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is expected to announce the proposals during a debate in Parliament on the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report later today.
It follows letters sent by Rayner to the companies responsible for fixing residential buildings with unsafe cladding.
A report by the National Audit Office published last month found that up to 60% of the 9,000-12,000 buildings with dangerous cladding in England have not yet been identified and remediation continues to be slow.
On 26 November, Conservative peer and former Local Government Association chair Gary Porter said in the House of Lords that the number of unsafe buildings in the country is so high “that they will not get remediated at any time in my lifetime”.
Rayner said: “The pace of remediation has been far too slow for far too long. We are taking decisive action to right this wrong and make homes safe.
“Our Remediation Acceleration Plan will ensure those responsible for making buildings safe deliver the change residents need and deserve.”
Building safety minister Alex Norris added: “By setting a clear timeline and firm deadlines, today’s announcement is a major step towards ensuring every building is made safe.”
