Scotland bans combustible cladding on high-rise buildings

As part of legislation to improve fire safety, developers in Scotland will be banned from using combustible cladding on buildings over 11 metres. 

Prior to this announcement, new cladding systems on high rise blocks of flats had to use non-combustible materials or pass a large-scale fire test. 

Now the building standards legislation has removed the option of a fire test and has completely prohibited the use of non-combustible materials on domestic and other high-risk buildings, such as care homes and hospitals. 

Metal composite cladding material which poses the highest fire risk will also be banned from any new building of any height and replacement cladding will need to meet new standards. 

Energy performance standards have been improved as part of the new legislation too, in an attempt to make buildings easier to heat, well ventilated and comfortable. 

Building Standards Minister Patrick Harvie said: ‘This is the third set of changes made to fire safety standards for cladding in Scotland since the tragic Grenfell Tower Fire, requiring any cladding on domestic or other high risk buildings above 11m to be strictly non-combustible.

‘Taken together with our new fire alarms regulations, covering all homes in Scotland regardless of ownership, this is yet another step on the Scottish Government’s mission to minimise the risk of deaths and injuries from fire.

‘The energy improvements will deliver another important step toward improved energy and emission performance of our buildings, and we’ll be going further on this in 2024 with regulations requiring new buildings to use zero-emissions heating systems.’

In February this year, new measures were brought in by the UK government to force industry to pay to remove dangerous cladding to protect leaseholders from high costs. 

Developers that refuse will have their planning permission blocked to prevent them from building and selling homes. 

New powers also allow for cladding companies to be sued and fined for defective products that pose a fire risk. 

Photo by Pedro Ramos