“The proposals announced today do reflect many of the calls we have made, but there is still work to do to drive these reforms forward and this must happen as soon as possible"
Responding to the publication of the government consultation on building safety reforms following the Hackitt Review, Lord Porter, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said:
“Since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the LGA has made the case for fundamental reform of our broken building regulations system. This cannot come soon enough so the LGA is pleased to see today’s consultation published.
“We are pleased that the Government has listened to councils and fire authorities and agreed to extend the new regulatory framework to residential buildings over 18 metres in height, but it is vital that a risk based approach to regulation is introduced. There are many buildings out of the reform’s current scope, such as hospitals, care homes and residential schools, which should also be protected in the same way.
“It is also vital that there is a consistent approach to buildings across the proposals, and in this context it makes little sense for the planning gateway set out in the consultation document to only apply to residential buildings above 30 metres in height.
“The proposals announced today do reflect many of the calls we have made, but there is still work to do to drive these reforms forward and this must happen as soon as possible.
“Designers, developers, product manufacturers and building owners need to be given clear duties in relation to building safety and clear guidance on those duties. Rather than the current fragmented system, there should be one fire safety regime that applies to all buildings where people live or sleep. It is important that regulators are given effective powers, including meaningful sanctions. The new system needs to be properly funded and residents must be able to raise concerns and know they will be listened to.
“People need to be able to sleep safely at night in their homes. The tragedy at Grenfell Tower must never be allowed to happen again and we look forward to continuing to work with the Government to deliver the much-needed reforms to ensure residents are safe and feel safe.”