Latest news with #buildingSafety
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Building cladding: Up to £3bn could be spent in Scotland
Up to £3bn of public money may have to be spent assessing and removing potentially flammable cladding from buildings in estimates from the Scottish government suggest up to 1,450 residential buildings may need remediation work, including about 250 high-rises. It was previously estimated about 900 buildings were full surveys will be needed to establish what needs to be done on a case-by-case basis, with 107 buildings being examined as part of a pilot phase. It is now estimated that the Cladding Remediation Programme could cost £1.7bn to £3.1bn over a 15-year new legislation is passed by the Scottish Parliament, additional funding could be unlocked to fix building safety issues. The Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill will see a tax charged on the construction of certain new residential properties, in line with equivalent legislation in bill seeks to raise about £30m a year to help fund work to fix residential buildings with unsafe cladding which have no linked Finance Minister Ivan McKee said: "The Scottish government is committed to doing what is right and necessary to address the challenge of fixing buildings affected by unsafe cladding."That includes putting the appropriate funding arrangements in place to ensure that the associated costs of cladding remediation do not fall directly onto affected homeowners."I know that developers share our determination to keep people safe and this levy will ensure they make a fair contribution to these costs, just as they will be doing in England."He added: "I also welcome the continued co-operation of developers who have accepted responsibility for the assessments and any required mitigation and remediation of their buildings." Grenfell Tower fire The UK government agreed in principle to devolve the powers needed for a Scottish Building Safety Levy last month ministers announced plans to speed up efforts to inspect and repair buildings in response to the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London that killed 72 23-storey tower's cladding is believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of the broke out in the kitchen of a fourth-floor flat at the tower block in North Kensington, just before 01:00 on 14 June minutes, the fire had rapidly spread up the exterior of the building and moved across all four sides. By 03:00, most of the upper floors were well well as those killed, more than 70 people were Cladding Remediation Programme was set up in the aftermath of the disaster but Scottish ministers have been criticised for its slow progress.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Government 'cannot mark own homework on Grenfell'
The government cannot be left "marking its own homework" when it comes to following through on recommendations from the Grenfell Report, MPs have a letter to Housing Secretary Angela Rayner the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee urged independent oversight of progress on building branded it "completely unacceptable" that survivors and next of kin of the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower disaster "are still awaiting justice for that terrible day".Building safety minister Alex Norris told the committee last month that the government had promised "quarterly reporting" on its website and annual scrutiny in the House of Commons. Campaigners on a range of scandals, including the Grenfell fire and infected blood victims, have previously called for a national oversight mechanism - an independent public body - to be put in place, responsible for collating, analysing and following up on recommendations from public have argued that, without such a body in place, governments can delay the implementation of, or even ignore entirely, recommendations from public this call, the committee told ministers: "The clearest, most consistent message we heard in our inquiry was that the Government must now be held to account for implementing these recommendations."We therefore endorse witness calls for the design and implementation of an independent mechanism to ensure that the government is held to account going forward and is not left marking its own homework." Florence Eshalomi, a Labour MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green who sits on the housing committee, said survivours and next of kin want to see government action "at a pace"."The sense from them was that so much time had been lost and yet nothing had moved on considerably," she told BBC London. "What we are asking is there should be a national oversight mechanism, similar to what's been proposed in the Hillsborough, to effectively monitor the different stages of implementation and looking at those recommendations so that we can all track the progress." 'Catastrophic mistakes' Appearing before the committee last month, Mr Norris said that, while he recognised the call for an oversight mechanism from campaigners who have been victim of "scandal and failure of the British state", he "can't make that commitment".He said: "That's a Cabinet Office-run process. I've made the commitment I've made in line with what we published in the inquiry on the publicly available information. The work is ongoing across government on the national oversight mechanism more generally."The committee said an independent oversight mechanism would "reduce the risk of future governments repeating the catastrophic mistakes which have historically led to state-related deaths, from Hillsborough, to the infected blood scandal, to the Grenfell Tower fire itself".Elsewhere in their letter, the MPs also demanded an urgent review of the decision to mandate sprinkler installation in new care homes but not existing ones, and that sufficient funding is provided to ensure all disabled residents in high-rise buildings can have Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (Peeps).The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has been asked to comment.
Zawya
13-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
ICC spotlights building safety and innovation at two key events in Riyadh this May
Dubai, UAE: Reinforcing its commitment to advancing building safety, sustainability, and innovation in building codes across the Gulf Region the International Code Council (ICC) is proud to participate in two major events in Riyadh this May. Represented by Mohammed Amer, Managing Director – ICC MENA, ICC shares expert insights at the Saudi Sustainable Building Show and Saudi Giga Projects 2025. At the Saudi Sustainable Building Show, the 2nd International Exclusive Conference and Exhibition for Sustainable Building in Saudi Arabia, which took place from May 5–7 at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center, Amer joined the panel discussion titled 'How Net-Zero Buildings Are Transforming the Construction Industry.' He discussed the transformative potential of net-zero principles in construction, highlighting how energy-efficient systems, renewable energy integration, and advanced materials are reshaping the industry. He also emphasized the importance of skills development and evolving regulatory frameworks in driving long-term progress. This week, Amer will participate in Saudi Giga Projects 2025, scheduled for May 12–13 at The Venue by ROSHN Group, the Kingdom's premier platform for its $1 trillion+ giga project program. In the session titled 'Navigating the Future of Offsite and Modular Construction,' he will discuss how industrialized building methods, digital technologies, and sustainable design strategies are boosting productivity and reducing environmental impact in large-scale developments. 'Supporting Saudi Arabia's vision for sustainable, high-performing buildings through modern building codes and smart collaboration is central to our mission and long-term impact. As a key enabler in the GCC region responsible for shaping the future of building safety and code development, it's a privilege to contribute to these important conversations,' said Amer. Through strategic partnerships with the Kingdom's entities - such as the Saudi Building Code Center (SBCC) and the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MOMAH), ICC continues to lead regional efforts in adapting and implementing the International Building Code® (IBC®) and other International Codes to suit local requirements. These collaborations support the Kingdom's sustainable development goals, ensuring safety, resilience, and efficiency across a wide range of construction projects. About the International Code Council The International Code Council is the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions. International Code Council codes, standards and solutions are used to ensure safe, affordable and sustainable communities and buildings worldwide.
