Construction Digital Magazine April 2021 | Page 60

ENGINEERING
£ 75 million and Vistry and Barratt Developments have allocated £ 20 million and £ 15.6 million respectively .
Pressure is being maintained externally by bodies such as the UK Cladding Action Group , which remains “ disappointed that the government refuses to acknowledge the size and scale of the building safety crisis in the country ”. Co-founder Ritu Saha says it has been contacted by leaseholders in distress over 270 blocks .
“ There have rightly been changes in building fire safety regulations following the Grenfell tragedy . But while new regulations normally apply from the date they come into force , in this instance , the changes have meant that many buildings built across decades in this country that were once considered safe , are now no longer so ,” she writes on the Legal Action Group website .
“ The fallout of all this is that leaseholders are now facing huge bills in the tens and hundreds of thousands , for interim fire safety measures , internal fire safety defects and cladding remediation .”
Legal Action Group residents should not be left to pay for remedies to unsafe tower block cladding .
Clyde & Co Legal Director Chris Leadbetter said as a ballpark figure , he expects to see over 20 live cladding cases in court this year .
“ Although fire safety and cladding have been a fixture in the headlines since the Grenfell tragedy nearly four years ago , and claims have emerged over the years following that , these claims haven ’ t had their day in court thus far ,” he said . “ However , all signs point to 2021 finally being the year things come to a head as we
60 April 2021