Big developers to complete fire safety works on Welsh high rises
Building safety programme will make residents feel ‘safe and secure in their homes’ and is part of Welsh Government’s cooperation agreement with Plaid Cymru.
A slew of major housebuilders have agreed to sign a legally binding pact that commits them to carry out fire safety works on medium and high-rise buildings across Wales.
Welsh Government Climate Change Minister Julie James told the Senedd earlier this week and that the Pact was an ‘ambitious programme’ that would make residents feel ‘safe and secure in their homes’.
Redrow, McCarthy Stone, Lovell, Vistry, Persimmon and Countryside have all signed the new pact. Meanwhile Taylor Wimpey, Crest Nicholson and Barrett have confirmed they intend to do so.
The Welsh Government also committed to step in and carry out remediation work in an initial cohort of 28 privately owned ‘orphan buildings’ – where a developer is unknown or has ceased trading.
INTEREST-FREE
A new £20m Welsh Building Safety Developer Loan Scheme will provide interest-free loans over a period of up to five years to developers who have signed the Pact to help with remediation works.

James told the Senned: “Developers should put right fire safety faults at their own cost or risk their professional reputation and their ability to operate in Wales in future.”
Elsewhere, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has agreed to extend their guidance to valuers in Wales as well as England to provide consistency in the valuation approach for properties that are part of the Welsh Government’s Building Safety Programme.
This will help support the removal of barriers and allow leaseholders to access mortgages and other financial products, providing consistency and clarity for all stakeholders.
CONFIDENCE
Luay Al-Khatib, RICS Director of Standards and Professional Development, says: “This brings much needed confidence to buyers, sellers, and the market, and ensures a consistent approach.”
The Neg reported last week how 40 of the country’s biggest developers had signed the government’s remediation contract in England – including the top ten biggest housebuilders – and committed themselves to fix unsafe buildings they developed or refurbished.