Harris Associates Aligns with 2035 Target for Cladding Remediation as We Drive Long Term Building Safety

Published: 14/11/2024

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) anticipates that cladding remediation efforts will extend into 2035, with ongoing challenges in identifying and verifying all at-risk buildings.
With our in-house façade consultancy team actively engaged in cladding remediation schemes, and FRAEWS across the UK, Harris Associates remains dedicated to addressing the challenges and complexities in ensuring fire safety for all buildings. Seven years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy exposed extensive issues with unsafe cladding, remediating affected buildings has become a national priority.

Working with several responsible developers that have signed the government developers remediation contract remediation along with our expertise that was instrumental in the courts awarding the first Building Safety Act Tribunal Remediation Order, we echo the findings of the National Audit Office (NAO) report with the opinion that cladding remediation will continue for at least another decade.

The Grenfell fire of 2017 tragically highlighted the dangers of combustible cladding systems, which accelerated the fire's spread. Since then, we have been working within government-funded frameworks the Building Safety Fund (BSF) and Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) to identify and address cladding issues on high-rise buildings by undertaking FRAEWS and a growing number of mid-rise structures. However, as noted in the recent National Audit Office (NAO) report, the full scope of unsafe cladding on mid-rise buildings (11-18 metres) remains unquantified, with an estimated 60% of these buildings still unidentified.

facade remediation project

Current Progress and Continuing Challenges

To date, 98% of the remediation of the most dangerous cladding on high-rise buildings over 18 metres is included in the government’s portfolio for remediation. However, this is only one portion of the challenge. Across England, an estimated 12,000 buildings over 11 metres require cladding remediation, but only around 16% of these have been addressed. Harris Associates are on the government-approved panel of Fire Risk Assessors and have undertaken hundreds of these surveys since the scheme began and work alongside fire engineers to deliver fire safety consultancy however for many property owners and residents, the route to safety on these mid-rise buildings can be more complex and nuanced.

More recently we’ve been advising various management companies with housing developments that include apartment blocks below 11 metres high but have shared entrances and some cladding on part of the building or even properties completely out of the scope but that contain areas of cladding. To sell these properties and satisfy the mortgage lenders many mortgage companies now require verification of the cladding material and professional expertise on combustibility.

In our experience, issues such as incomplete building records and varying construction materials complicate these efforts, and MHCLG has not published specific milestones, meaning that residents and building owners are uncertain about project timelines.

Evolving Remediation Strategies

Over the years, the government’s approach to cladding remediation has evolved to meet the growing scale and complexity of the crisis. The MHCLG now includes buildings between 11-18 metres in its funding programmes, (the cladding safety scheme, renamed from the mid-rise scheme) a crucial expansion given the safety risks for residents in these mid-rise structures. So far, over 4,700 buildings are registered in the government’s remediation portfolio. As we continue our work on behalf of building owners and stakeholders, we encounter ongoing challenges, particularly around voluntary participation in grant programmes and complex ownership structures that complicate project instructions and funding.

Funding and Future Outlook

The NAO report estimates that fully remediating unsafe cladding across all buildings over 11 metres in England will require approximately £16.6 billion. The government plans to contribute £9.1 billion, with developers, private owners, and social housing providers covering the remainder. To help manage public costs, MHCLG has also introduced mechanisms such as a developer-funded safety levy, set for implementation by 2025.

In our role as project managers, and fire safety consultants, Harris Associates remains committed to working with government initiatives and funding programmes to help ensure that all at-risk buildings meet fire safety standards. As we see it, cladding remediation will require sustained efforts and innovation in project management, funding strategies, and compliance over the next 10 years or more.

Moving Forward with Transparency and Accountability

The NAO report recommends that MHCLG publish a target date for completing cladding remediation and increase transparency around progress. As industry stakeholders, we support this call for clear milestones to provide property owners, tenants, and residents with a better understanding of when they can expect their homes to be safe.

Harris Associates will continue collaborating with government bodies, developers, and building owners to streamline the cladding remediation process, uphold the highest safety standards, and support the transition to safer buildings across the UK. We are committed to addressing the complex issues around cladding remediation, as the scope of work continues to grow.

With national coverage, we offer a bespoke solution to enable you to comply with the latest legislation. We are experts in statutory compliance and fire safety-related matters with experienced and qualified technicians, surveyors, engineers, and project managers. For building owners and managers, collaborating with an experienced consultancy like Harris Associates can streamline the remediation process, ensuring that buildings are made safe for residents as promptly as possible.

With our holistic approach to facade remediation, proven track record, and commitment to quality and safety plus our industry-leading PI, Harris Associates are ready to help building owners and managers navigate this complex challenge and lead the way in addressing the ongoing facade crisis.