A Homes England review has suggested the creation of a new organisation for building remediation works, with a focus on cladding, retrofitting, and upholding standards for habitable dwellings
The report, led by former PwC executive Tony Poulter and published on 8 April, contained 10 principal recommendations regarding building remediation.
The assessment aimed to periodically evaluate the performance of its arm’s length bodies (ALBs). Homes England functions as an ALB under the DLUHC.
Three were for Homes England, and seven were for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
The report’s overarching conclusion was that Homes England is the right vehicle for delivering housing supply, regeneration, and placemaking.
A new body for building remediation was recommended
However, one recommendation was that Homes England should transfer its current building safety responsibilities elsewhere.
“One option, in time, may be to establish a new public body for building remediation, tasked with creating and delivering a plan for transforming existing buildings to meet a range of objectives across safety, energy and quality matters.”
The Cladding Safety Scheme is currently delivered under Homes England
The Cladding Safety Scheme is currently delivered by Homes England, designed to meet the costs of addressing life safety fire risks associated with cladding on residential buildings over 11m in height outside of London and 18m in height in London.
The review noted that while Homes England was the only agency initially “realistically able to support” the government’s Cladding Safety Scheme, this does not directly align with the agency’s core function of delivering new housing and regeneration.
The Building Safety Regulator is currently responsible for assessing the safety risks of occupied residential buildings over 18m.
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