Building safety

The UK’s biggest contractor is engaged in a drawn-out £34.4m legal case over defects at a London student accommodation site it completed in 2009. Balfour Beatty has denied allegations it was responsible for “significant defects” on the six-storey Hive building in Bethnal Green, according to court documents seen by Construction…

Rudi Klein is a barrister and former chief executive of the Specialist Engineering Contractors Group It is extremely gratifying that the government has accepted the recommendation for a construction regulator, albeit implantation is delayed until 2028. More than 30 years ago, as chief executive of the Specialist Engineering Contractors Group,…

The government has proposed harsh penalties for manufacturers and distributors of unsafe construction products, including prison time and unlimited fines. Under plans set out yesterday (26 February), it would become a criminal offence for companies or online marketplaces to provide inaccurate production information or fail to comply with an enforcement…

The government’s response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry has been welcomed by industry figures, though some called for it to go further on licensing. Yesterday (26 February), communities secretary Angela Rayner told the House of Commons she would accept all 58 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations. Among the measures…

Seven firms named in the Grenfell report are now under investigation and could face a complete ban from public work in the UK. Leading manufacturers and contractors in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower exhibited “disgraceful mercenary behaviour” and will be investigated for a complete debarment, housing secretary Angela Rayner said.…

A single regulator for construction is among a raft of measures announced today (26 February) in response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase two report, but it will not be handed key product safety functions. Housing secretary Angela Rayner told the House of Commons today that she would accept all…

Unite Group has recouped £51m from contractors for fire safety remediation works – but has said further sums are yet to be recovered.  In a preliminary results statement, the London-listed student housing developer said it reached settlements worth £32m in 2024, of which its share is £23m once joint venture…

Contractors have been told they may need to examine any VAT recovered from cladding remediation work dating back to 2021. The call comes after HMRC published a policy paper stating VAT must be paid on all cladding remediation work, unless it is snagging carried out under an original construction contract…

Discovery of a latent building safety threat suggests gaps in the government’s knowledge of its building stock In December 2023, a section of concrete blockwork fell through a suspended ceiling at Fordley Primary School, landing on the floor of a classroom. Hours before the school closed for the Christmas holidays,…

A procurement specialist has invited interest in two major deals potentially worth a combined total of £1.3bn. South East Consortium published official notices of its Decarbonisation Partnerships and Fire Remedial Works frameworks on Friday (14 February). The body said the agreements would provide routes to market for housing clients nationally…