NFCC welcomes the progress of the Building Safety Bill

NFCC welcomed the progress of the Building Safety Bill, as it completed its third reading in the House of Commons on 19 January 2022. Following the debate, Mark Hardingham, NFCC Chair said:

“The Building Safety Bill is a crucial piece of legislation to improve the fire and building safety landscape both now and in the future.

“We particularly welcomed the detailed contributions from Members across the House, including those speaking on behalf of residents and leaseholders in their constituencies, who have borne the impact of the cladding and remediation issues.

It’s important that the Bill incorporates safety requirements for both our current building stock and new buildings, so that we can turn off the tap and prevent any more unsafe buildings from being built.

“It’s important that the Bill incorporates safety requirements for both our current building stock and new buildings, so that we can turn off the tap and prevent any more unsafe buildings from being built.”
Mark Hardingham, NFCC Chair

NFCC will continue to urge Government to ensure the right balance between the principles of ‘non-worsening’ and continued improvement. Mark Hardingham added:

“We would welcome clarification that the new Building Safety Regulator’s powers will be available to use to encourage improvements, such as sprinkler installation, when a building is refurbished.”

Amendments to the Building Safety Bill include a retrospective extension of the limitation period set out in the Defective Premises Act. The proposed extension gives leaseholders up to 30 years to make a claim for compensation. Gavin Tomlinson, NFCC Protection and Business Safety Committee Chair, said:

“NFCC supports extending the Defective Premises Act limitation period to give leaseholders longer to claim compensation for building safety defects. We would welcome a joined-up approach across the nations of the UK.

“We look forward to understanding the detail on how this will be implemented and on the legal avenues Mr Gove outlined should developers refuse to pay. This is particularly important when development companies are closed down once a project is completed, leaving the parent company facing no ongoing legal liability for remediation.”

As the Bill moves to its second reading in the House of Lords next week, NFCC will continue to support robust legislation that delivers a safe built environment for the future.