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Hundreds express interest in Welsh government scheme to fund fire safety surveys
Many people have expressed interest in a scheme set up by the Welsh government to fund fire safety surveys on buildings taller than 11 metres.
The scheme, which will fund surveys to assess cladding issues and internal problems such as ineffective compartmentation, has received 248 expressions of interest over a three-month period since its launch on 30 September last year.
The scheme was announced in July and remains open to further expressions of interest.
The funding will come via phase one of the Welsh Building Safety Fund, in which buildings taller than 11 metres will be eligible to apply, with priority given to blocks taller than 18 metres.
Following a survey, those responsible for the building will create a ‘fire safety building passport’ setting out what defects have been identified, what remedial action is required and when fire safety measures need to be implemented.
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Welsh climate change minister Julie James announced that consulting firm Adroit Economics has been appointed to undertake the surveys and will begin the work on 1 March.
Widespread building safety defects have been discovered in blocks of flats across the UK in the four years since the Grenfell Tower fire.
Hundreds of leaseholders across the UK have discovered that they are living in dangerous buildings, while thousands more have found themselves unable to sell their homes as mortgage lenders require extra assurances that their blocks are safe.
Ms James added: “This marks an important milestone in the process to remediate identified building safety defects, including cladding and fire safety issues.
“Developers have a clear role to play in contributing to addressing safety defects where they exist to protect leaseholders from costs.
“I am pleased a number of developers have already set aside funds, but I continue to believe there is more that can and should be done by them.”
She said will provide a further statement and update on the government’s wider building safety work programme to Senedd next month.
The Welsh government also announced in December that it was going to launch another scheme, which will see it buy some of the flats embroiled in the cladding crisis from leaseholders.
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