Today the Mayor of London said plans to remove unsafe cladding from buildings over 11 metres high in the capital city have taken a ‘significant step forward’.
2025 marks almost eight years since the Grenfell Tower tragedy and to commemorate the event Sadiq Khan has announced a new ‘Joint Remediation Partnership Board’ which will help improve fire safety in thousands of tall buildings across the city.
The board is comprised of members from the government, London Councils, the London Fire Brigade, housing associations and regulatory bodies. It is understood members met for the first time on Tuesday to discuss improving London high rises and the government’s pledge to spend £1bn on refining thousands of tall buildings across England.
By 2029 ministers are looking to ensure all buildings over the 11 metres mark will either have been remediated, have a date for completion, or landlords issued severe penalties for failing to make their buildings safe.
‘This is a significant step forward in speeding up the removal of dangerous cladding in London, which had been far too slow under the previous government,’ Mr Khan said. ‘I will not stop until we can say with confidence that the failing which led to this disaster will never be repeated.’
While progress is being made, the latest figures from City Hall demonstrate the government have a huge job on their hands. The data shows there are currently 1,513 buildings in government remediation programmes where work is yet to start on site.
What’s more, the news comes after the National Audit Office revealed up to 60% of buildings with dangerous cladding had not been identified by the government and at the current rate of progress it was due to miss its own estimated completion date of 2035.
‘The pace of remediation has been far too slow and nearly eight years on form the Grenfell Fire tragedy far too many people are living in buildings with unsafe cladding,’ Alex Norris, building and fire safety minister said. ‘This problem is particularly acute in London, which is why I’m pleased to be working with the Deputy Mayor for London and the Greater London Authority to accelerate the pace of remediation work in London, and ensure residents feel safe and secure in their homes.’
‘Alongside the London Fire Brigade, London Councils and regulators, we are bringing renewed vigour to tackling long-overdue issues with unsafe cladding in the capital,’ he added.
Photo by Pedro Ramos via UnSplash
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