The Scottish Government has introduced a new legislative proposal aimed at improving the safety of buildings with unsafe cladding.
The Housing (Cladding Remediation) Bill, recently published, seeks to empower Scottish Ministers with the authority to assess and remediate buildings at risk, even in cases where the consent of the owners is not obtainable.
Key to the Bill is the establishment of a Cladding Assurance Register, a tool designed to bolster resident confidence by providing transparency on the safety assessments and remedial actions taken on affected buildings.
Furthermore, the Bill proposes granting Ministers the power to set up a Responsible Developers Scheme.
This scheme is intended to facilitate dialogue with developers and incentivise them to finance or execute necessary remediation works.
While further details will be subject to consultation, the scheme is expected to outline agreements for covering remediation costs and impose sanctions on eligible developers who opt not to participate or maintain their membership.
Housing Minister Paul McLennan elaborated on the objectives of the Bill: “We are determined to safeguard people living in buildings with unsafe cladding which has been identified through the cladding remediation programme.
“Where work is required, it should be carried out swiftly and this Bill will allow us to build on progress to date by addressing barriers to assessment and remediation work.”
McLennan also highlighted the cooperative stance of many developers in Scotland, whose proactive measures in addressing cladding issues have enabled a more strategic allocation of public funds: “The public commitments that have already been made by many of Scotland’s developers to identify, assess and remediate their buildings mean that public money can be focused on buildings without a linked developer.”
