Notwithstanding the government’s interventions to date, and seven years after the Grenfell fire tragedy, thousands of unsafe buildings are yet to be remediated. The newly announced Remediation Action Plan is the government’s attempt to resolve these delays. Below, we will summarise the measures proposed in the plan.

Prior measures

Following the Grenfell fire in 2017, the government has taken various steps to encourage and then compel building owners to identify and remediate life-critical fire safety defects in the external wall build of their buildings.

The approach has evolved over time, with the creation of the government-backed remediation fund  in 2020 (called the Building Safety Fund); the enactment of the Building Safety Act in 2022 (bringing with it extended limitation periods and new rights of action against relevant parties); and, more recently, the introduction in early 2023 of remediation contracts, pursuant to which developers agreed to meet remedial costs for their buildings.

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