Cladding Remediation Programme: progress bulletins

October 2024 

Message from Paul McLennan, Minister for Housing 

Dear Readers, 

I understand this must be a difficult time for those living in buildings with unsafe cladding and I am committed to acting to protect homeowners and residents. With the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 and the Single Building Assessment Technical Specification now in place, we are accelerating the pace of delivery.   

In our pilot programme, all 107 pilot entries are undergoing necessary pre-assessment checks. Buildings in scope will proceed to a developer or Government led Single Building Assessment (SBA). We have identified 12 pilot entries in scope, without a linked developer, and we are commissioning SBAs for an initial 12 buildings.   

I am committed to improving engagement with homeowners, residents and other stakeholders. This newsletter is part of the range of improvements we are making to ensure homeowners and residents are updated on a- regular basis. 

Introduction - Stephen Lea-Ross Director of Cladding Remediation 

Welcome to the first edition of our new quarterly newsletter. We hope to use this publication as a key way in which to update you on developments in relation to the Cladding Remediation Programme. As Director of the Cladding Remediation Directorate I am keen to ensure that we establish and maintain a regular flow of information to ensure that you are well informed on progress to date. I appreciate both the challenges and just how difficult this time has been for homeowners and residents living in buildings with potentially unsafe cladding. I want to take this opportunity to assure you that you stay at the heart of the Cladding Remediation Programme. 

With the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 and the Single Building Assessment Technical Specification now in place, we are able to accelerate the pace of delivery and we have now identified 12 pilot entries in Scope that we are commissioning SBAs for as a priority. 

We are developing a new communications strategy to help improve engagement with homeowners, residents and other stakeholders. 

As we develop this newsletter over the coming months we are really keen for your feedback and comments. Please do get in touch at communicationscladding@gov.scot if you have anything you wish to share. 

Cladding Remediation pilot 

The Cladding Remediation Programme was set up to protect homeowners and residents living in buildings with unsafe cladding. We aim to address the risks associated with unsafe external wall cladding systems. Our top priorities are keeping homeowners and residents safe and informed about what is happening in their buildings. 

The Cladding Remediation Programme has been operating in a pilot phase. This pilot phase has primarily focussed on the design and testing of a Single Building Assessment (SBA), and learning from this. You can read more about the SBA specification on the Scottish Government website. 

Within the pilot phase, we came across many challenges, such as delays and issues which would stop assessment and remediation taking place. The Pilot found that there were difficulties in gaining the required consent from homeowners and residents. Using the learning from this phase, we have taken steps to address these challenges through the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024. 

You can read more about the Pilot on our webpage. 

Housing(Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 

The Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill was introduced to reduce the risk to life from unsafe cladding on people’s homes. The Bill became an Act on 21 June 2024. 

The Act gives powers to Scottish Ministers to assess and remediate certain types of buildings with unsafe cladding. 

Scottish Ministers will need to record these assessments and any remediation works completed in a register. Remediate means to take action towards fixing problems. 

The Act also allows Scottish Ministers to create a responsible developers scheme. 

Spotlight: Single Building Assessment (SBA) 

The SBA is an assessment carried out by an authorised person on relevant buildings that are 11m or over in height. That usually means a building which is four storeys or more, excluding basements. 

The SBA will review any risk to life that is created or made worse by the buildings’ external wall system. This report will show what work (if any) is needed to remove or reduce any risk that is identified. 

Initial SBAs 

We have established 12 buildings to have an SBA carried out initially.   

We are in the process of sending information and next steps to all homeowners and residents living in these 12 buildings.   

These 12 buildings will all be government led, which means they do not have a developer. You can read more about government-led and developer-led buildings below or on our webpage. 

Remediating buildings 

Homeowners should not be expected to pay for essential life-critical fire-safety remediation and mitigation work on buildings within the scope of the programme. 

There are two types of buildings within the Programme. 

A developer-led building is one where the developer is still operational and has agreed to take responsibility for its’ assessment and potential remediation. 

A Government-led building is one where the Scottish Government is taking forward assessment and potential remediation. This will usually occur when a developer is not active or trading, or is unable to due to not being associated with an entity that could cover costs, or due to other financial capacity considerations. 

The initial 12 buildings which will have an SBA carried out fall under the government-led definition. 

Home fire safety 

Homeowners and residents can, and should, be aware of how to make their property safer in relation to fire safety. Guidance is available at Home fire safety - Fire and rescue (gov.scot).This includes guidance for homeowners and residents who live in high rise flats. 

Cladding Assurance Register 

Once developed, a ‘Cladding Assurance Register’ will give owners assurance on the status of their buildings, as well as allowing mortgage and insurance providers access to information about the status of a building. 

We are working to develop this Register which will include information on buildings which have been through an SBA and any works which may be required. 

A building will be entered on the Register when its SBA is complete, and will be updated when Scottish Ministers are satisfied that any required works have been completed. 

We will provide more information on the Register as this work develops. 

Further information 

We believe it is very positive that we are now able to move forward onto assessment, mitigation and remediation of buildings under the terms of the Act. 

We look forward to keeping you up to date with the progress of this delivery. You will find more information about the Cladding Remediation Programme on our webpage and you check out our factsheet addressing common questions from the pilot phase.

We value your input! 

Your thoughts are essential in shaping our newsletter. If you have suggestions or ideas for future content, don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we can ensure this newsletter effectively meets your needs and keeps you informed. Please share your feedback at communicationscladding@gov.scot.