Prominent house builder, Bellway, has reportedly set aside another £346.2 million as part of its new Building Safety Division, which oversees the fire safety remediation work of its legacy schemes. This brings its overall cladding bill to a total of £513.7 million.
The housing firm has highlighted its commitment to resident safety on its website, saying: “Following the Grenfell tragedy in June 2017, we proactively instigated a full review of our high-rise portfolio and identified buildings with ACM cladding. We are now engaged in a complete program of works to remediate those buildings.”
fire safety improvements
Additionally, it reiterates that on those developments where remedial works have been confirmed, the company has “typically covered the cost of fire safety improvements” where it remains responsible or provided help to homeowners of legacy builds – where it has the legal responsibility to do so – to ensure “any necessary surveys, tests, and required remediation are carried out.”
On 18 October 2022, the building firm announced its annual profits in the period up to July 2022; it reported a sharp decrease in its pre-tax profit (by 36.5% to £304 million) owing to the money that has been set aside for fire safety repairs. The firm has now postponed its plans to increase its output by nearly 10% in 2023 due to the uncertain housing market.
Guinness Partnership
Guinness Partnership has also shared the progress of its post-Grenfell remedial works
“While Bellway entered the year with a strong forward order book, given the backdrop of rising interest rates and wider economic uncertainty, the board currently expects to deliver volume at a similar level to the prior year,” the firm said.
The Guinness Partnership has also shared the progress of its post-Grenfell remedial works across its extensive property network. The home association reportedly owns around 65,000 properties across England, including 40 high-rise tower blocks and over 380 medium-rise and complex buildings.
While it commenced a sprinkler retrofit program in 2020, which includes sprinklers fitted in all timber-frame buildings taller than 12 meters and other blocks with vulnerable residents, it is currently advertising for up to six contractors to share its building safety improvement works. This will reportedly amount to around £160 million and will be distributed across two regions – the North and the South.
Procurement process
Procurement process for this network of contractors is specific to external wall systems
The procurement process for this network of contractors is specific to external wall systems, which include improvements to cladding, façades, and balconies. It states: “The framework will run for four years, and contracts may be awarded for work at any time during this period.”
The project is expected to run until November 2026. Each region will be allotted £80 million, and three contractors are projected to be appointed to each region. With an appropriate framework established, it is thought that these contractors will also be made available to other housing associations, which have similar requirements, in the future.
Grenfell Tower tragedy
In regard to its extensive building safety campaign, Guinness reiterated: “The safety of our homes and residents remains our top priority.”
Bellway and Guinness are just two examples of the considerable amount of money being spent by housing firms and builders on their legacy builds in the wake of new fire safety regulations. It also indicates the level of remediation work still left to do to safeguard residents and ensure that another Grenfell Tower tragedy does not occur.