Building safety

The government’s former chief construction adviser has said he was “surprised” the final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report did not investigate construction product toxicity. Paul Morrell pointed out that the inquiry’s expert toxicologist was unable to separate the impact on victims of carbon monoxide from smoke and hydrogen cyanide from construction…

Moving too quickly on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry's call for a new construction 'super regulator' would be a "distraction", Dame Judith Hackitt has warned. Hackitt, whose 2018 report informed the creation of two new construction regulators, gave her personal verdict on the inquiry panel’s proposal to combine them during a…

Ali Perry is chief executive of the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA)  BAFSA hopes that the requirement for sprinklers in all new care homes in England heralds a new approach by the government towards the protection of the built environment that considers and listens to expert advice. As a…

The Scottish Government aims to raise £30m per year from its building safety levy, it has said in a new document. The authority has opened a consultation for its version of the tax on clients that is designed to raise funds for remediation of buildings clad in dangerous material. The…

The government faces a dilemma. Should it stick with the system reforms emanating from the Hackitt and Morrell/Day reports? Or embark on the radical new approach recommended by the Grenfell Inquiry Phase Two report? Reform means continuing to drive through the Building Safety Act secondary legislation and tightening oversight of…

James Mapley is an associate at Devonshires Solicitors  Contractors likely winced upon reading the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s damming assessment of Rydon’s performance as the primary contractor on the refurbishment of the building prior to the blaze that engulfed it in 2017. ‘Failed’, ‘inexperienced’, ‘complacent’ – these descriptions are diametrically opposed…

The new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) had by the end of June extended nearly half of high-rise refurbishment applications beyond the eight-week time limit, a minister has revealed. In a written answer to parliament, building-safety minister Rushanara Ali also revealed that the BSR rejected more than two-fifths (42 per cent)…

Dr Bernard Rimmer, construction commentator The Grenfell Tower Inquiry uncovered dishonesty and misleading information in relation to the supply of the aluminium composite material (ACM) panels. The sort of information it uncovered would not normally be available in construction disputes (over the failure of facades) and will be useful to…

Insurers could pull professional indemnity (PI) insurance coverage again if faced with an influx of claims under new post-Grenfell laws, a broker has warned.

Former government chief construction adviser Paul Morrell says the way forward for the government on building safety is clear. So, after seven years, involving 300 days of evidence, over 300,000 documents, steady employment for far too many lawyers (no less than 160 are credited) and expenditure north of £170m, the…