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Private building owners face financial penalties if they fail to remove dangerous aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding, the government has warned.
Housing and communities secretary James Brokenshire has written to around 60 building owners and developers threatening “enforcement action” if they do not strip unsafe material from their blocks.
The firms include Lendlease, Pemberstone, Paddington Development Corporation and GLA Land & Property – a subsidiary of the Greater London Authority.
Building owners that do not take urgent steps to remediate buildings clad in flammable ACM could be restricted from accessing government schemes, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said.
Mr Brokenshire said: “There is a moral imperative for private sector landlords to do the right thing and remove unsafe cladding quickly, and not leave leaseholders to cover the cost.
“A number of leading developers have stepped up to the mark and agreed to pay for work, and we urge others to follow their lead. If they don’t, we have not ruled anything out.
“I am also warning those who are not acting quickly enough to put in plans to remove dangerous cladding to take action now, or face enforcement action from their council.”
Developers such as Barratt, Mace Group, Legal & General and Taylor Wimpey have agreed to foot cladding removal bills.
At the last count in August, 293 private sector residential high rises had been identified as being clad in ACM, which is unlikely to meet building regulations. MHCLG has not been informed of action plans for 200 of these buildings.
Leaseholders in blocks up and down the country face huge service charges to pay for the removal of these systems.
The government has promised to “fully fund” the removal and replacement of dangerous ACM cladding in the social housing sector, at an estimated cost of £400m.
The GLA has been contacted for comment.