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Welsh Government to ban combustible cladding on high rises
The Welsh Government will “move to ban” the use of combustible materials on residential high rises in Wales, the housing minister has announced.
Rebecca Evans, housing and regeneration minister for the Welsh Government, said the ban would be subject “to a legally required consultation into this matter”.
It comes after Dame Judith Hackitt published the final report in her review of building regulations and fire safety last week – which did not recommend any ban on combustibles.
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In a written statement issued this afternoon, Ms Evans said: “Dame Judith deliberately avoided any reference to specific matters, such as materials in cladding systems.
“She was right to point out that underlying failures of culture and of the regulatory system may allow unsafe practices and products to persist and those failures will manifest themselves in other ways unless they are addressed head-on.
“But I cannot ignore the risks and the clear public concern. Subject to a legally required consultation into this matter, we will move to ban the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings in Wales.”
UK government housing minister Dominic Raab has committed to a similar ban after a consultation.
Ms Evans added that the Welsh Government intends “to make the radical and far-reaching reforms to the regulatory system which Dame Judith calls for”.
She said first minister Carwyn Jones has asked her to chair an expert group to develop the review’s recommendations into law and policy, with detailed proposals due “by the end of the year”.
Yesterday, the Welsh Government announced it would provide £3m in grant to pay for the removal of dangerous cladding from three housing association tower blocks in Newport.
