Building owners who fail to remove dangerous cladding have been warned they could face jail, as ministers were urged to act quickly to prevent “another Grenfell”.
The government has acknowledged that as many as 7,000 buildings could contain dangerous materials that have yet to be identified. Meanwhile, progress on the remediation of high-rises with known issues has been slow.
The Remediation Acceleration Plan mandates that all buildings over 59 feet (18 meters) tall with unsafe cladding under a government scheme must be remediated by the end of 2029. By that time, buildings taller than 36 feet (11 meters) with unsafe cladding will either have been remediated or will have a scheduled completion date. Landlords who fail to comply will face severe penalties.
Building Safety Minister Alex Norris stated, “I want building owners who are watching this and have not remediated their properties to know that we are monitoring the situation, we are pursuing them, and we expect those buildings to be remediated. If they don’t comply, they will face legal consequences.”
He added, “We already have a range of powers, from fines to prison sentences, that can be applied in health and safety cases. We will utilize these options as needed for each building to ensure resolution. We are committed to achieving this by the end of this decade.”
Mr. Norris acknowledged that there are an estimated 4,000 to 7,000 buildings with flammable cladding that have not yet been identified, more than seven years after the Grenfell Tower disaster, which resulted in the deaths of 72 people.
Campaigners have labeled the government’s plans as “extremely disappointing,” claiming that they will “only complicate an already complex process.”
The inquiry into the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire found that victims, bereaved families, and survivors were “badly failed.”
End Our Cladding Scandal, a group representing leaseholders affected by unsafe buildings, stated that they are “still far from a comprehensive solution” regarding building safety.
They expressed that “Labour’s Remediation Acceleration Plan is hugely disappointing, with proposals that will further complicate the process through additional layers of bureaucracy.”