WE’RE FLAT BROKE BUT FIRMS ARE STILL ON A VIP LIST
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BUILDING firms linked to fire-risk tower blocks where thousands fear for their safety are STILL on a Government list of VIP developers and constructors.
The housing giants have priority access to prime public land while owners in flats they built fear huge repair bills in the wake of Grenfell.
A Sunday Mirror probe found 16 firms on the preferred partners list for Homes England – the Government’s housing agency – previously built flats where safety issues have now been flagged.
All flats over 11 metres are being re-inspected. Of 417 high-rises with Grenfell-style ACM cladding, work is still to be completed on 165.
Another 3,000 high-rise buildings have other cladding that needs to be fixed and there are issues around flammable insulation, missing fire breaks and timber balconies. And thousands of unsafe buildings under 11 metres are excluded.
Nationally, around 1.3 million owners find themselves unable to sell or remortgage after their flats were identified as at risk. And as they cannot move up the housing ladder, that poses a major crisis for the wider property market.
Under leasehold laws, hundreds of thousands of flat owners face paying for repairs unless building owners, developers or the Government picks up the tab.
Many have been invoiced for huge sums, typically ranging from £40,000 to £115,000.
Developers argue their constructions were legally built, met standards at the time and, in many cases, they do not own the freeholds.
While there is no obligation on developers to remedy the defects, leaseholders insist firms have a moral obligation and the cash to do the work. They also want to know why those linked to the crisis still have access to Homes England’s four-year Delivery Partner Panel 3 (DPP3) list.
Jim Illingworth, 62 – facing a £70,000 bill in Birmingham – said: “It’s appalling that people who left us in fire traps are still on the preferred list. If the Government really were on the side of victims, these companies would be banned until they sort out the mess left behind them.”
Ritu Saha, from the UK Cladding Action Group, said: “It is frightening that developers who have built fire traps that need 24-hour patrols to stop people from burning to death are preferred delivery partners for the Government.
“Absolutely no levies or penalties have been imposed on these developers. Instead, they appear to be rewarded.
“We urge Homes England to remove these developers from their list and urge the Government to vigorously pursue the industry that has caused the greatest scandal of building safety the UK has ever seen.”
Giles Grover, of campaign group Manchester Cladiators, added: “Few developers and builders have done the right thing and contributed to cladding costs.
“At the same time many have been making large profits, often supported by Governmentbacked schemes.” Flammable cladding accelerated the inferno which tore through the tower block at Grenfell, West London, leaving 72 people dead in 2017.
Building safety rules were later tightened and many homes that were previously signed off as safe do not meet revised standards. The Government has a £1.6billion repair fund but MPs estimate £15billion is needed.
Under the DPP3 scheme nearly 70 firms have access to Homes England sites. Last year land with space for 114,361 homes was unlocked by Homes England. The 16 firms with links to fire-risk blocks include:
■■ALLENBUILD, now part of Places for People, is on Homes England’s list for the South.
Yet leaseholders in the Thomas Fyre Drive complex, in Bow, East London, say Allenbuild has not helped them. Policy adviser Louise Smith, 36, bought a £405,000 flat through shared ownership. She said: “The buildings were found to have missing or insufficient cavity barriers and missing or poorly fitted insulation. Allenbuild told us they were not in a position to help.”
Places for People said Allenbuild was owned by another firm when the estate was built. ■■TAYLOR WIMPEY built an apartment block in Victoria Wharf, Cardiff. Surveyors found flammable polystyrene insulation, while fire barriers were absent. Residents fear a £28million bill unless bailed out.
Homes England wants Taylor Wimpey to build 263 properties in Walsall, West Mids. The firm has set aside £40million for cladding repairs on a small number of sites, but not the Cardiff development, which does not have ACM. A spokesman said: “Working constructively with Government and others, we have taken steps where appropriate to help our customers with fire safety measures.”
■■BELLWAY was told to “cough up” by Labour MP David Lammy to replace combustible cladding at 1,000 homes in North London. Homes England later declared it was its preferred developer for 300 homes in Macclesfield, Cheshire.
Bellway said buildings with ACM cladding were being fixed at no cost to leaseholders, it had “actively worked” to investigate fire safety issues and added: “We understand leaseholders’ frustrations with this industry-wide issue.” ■■BARRATT HOMES snubbed leaseholders facing a £13million bill at Royal Artillery Quays in Woolwich, South London, saying the work met regulations at the time. Its Manchester arm
was last year given a Homes England contract to build hundreds of homes in Appleton Thorn, Cheshire. The company declined to comment. ■■URBAN SPLASH built the timber-clad Moho apartments in Manchester, where leaseholders could pay out £5.6million. Rob Heilig, 41, faces a £42,500 invoice and said: “I just want to give the keys in and walk away.”
Homes England awarded Urban Splash a contract to create 228 new homes in Grappenhall, Cheshire. The company did not comment. ■■COUNTRYSIDE PROPERTIES built Master Gunner Place in Woolwich, South London, where 93 leaseholders face a £1.4million cladding bill. They already pay £24,000 a month for a waking watch patrol. Kirsty McGilway, 34,
who lives in Butterfield House, claimed the company “refuse to talk to leaseholders, never mind pay for works”. In April, Countryside announced “major wins” for Homes England projects in Chatham, Kent, and Hemel Hempstead, Herts. The company declined to comment. ■■REDROW developed the Jupiter II building in Birmingham. Analyst Sukhvinder Tiwana, 46, was billed for £31,400 after her studio failed an external wall inspection. She said: “I can’t sleep. I don’t have the money. I am in a dilemma I have no idea how to get out of. What did I do to deserve this punishment?”
Redrow said it had not built any homes under DPP3. A spokesman said: “Where issues have since been identified we have gone beyond our
legal obligations and unilaterally stepped in to support interim steps such as waking watches and to kick-start certain works.”
■■VISTRY GROUP – a merger of Bovis Homes and Galliford Try – won contracts for 935 homes in Halton, Cheshire, and Kidderminster, Worcs.
But leaseholders at Opus House in St Albans, Herts, face a £7million remediation bill.
Lawyer Alison Hills, 40, could be barred from her profession if made bankrupt by the demand. She said: “We don’t even own our buildings yet we are expected to stump up 50 per cent of the value of our flats. It’s an absolute disgrace.”
Vistry said Opus, built by its Linden Homes division when part of Galliford Try, was signed off in line with building regulations at the time. A spokesman said Linden did not own the head lease and had not levied charges on leaseholders.
developments in
HAD ENOUGH Rob Heilig faces £42,000 repair bill
Bristol and Portishead, Somerset, have cladding concerns. The company last year signed a Homes England agreement for a 27-storey tower in Southampton. It declined to comment.
Other names on the DPP3 list include Clarion, Gleeson Homes, Hill, Kier, LQ, Laing O’Rourke and Wates. Housing association Clarion and constructors Kier and Laing O’Rourke said no work had been secured through DPP3.
Clarion said it spent £60million on fire safety since 2017 and inspected over 70 buildings, adding: “Safety is our priority. We will continue to deliver the work needed to keep homes safe.”
Laing O’Rourke had offered to do remedial work on builds “where we accepted legal responsibility”. A spokesman said: “Remedial works have been completed or are under way.”
Housing association LQ said it was exploring “all opportunities to secure funding for remedial works”. Wates was working “pro-actively and successfully” to resolve safety issues. Hill and Gleeson Homes did not comment.
PROFITS
The repairs crisis comes as Barratt, Bellway and Taylor Wimpey posted profits of £2billion, boosted by the Help to Buy scheme. Developers are in return propping up the Conservative Party – accounting for 37 per cent of company donations. Electoral Commission data shows they gave £6.6million in the year to last June.
The Home Builders Federation said: “We appreciate how distressing the issues are for residents. While homes were built to regulations and approved by independent inspectors, the industry is keen to explore sensible solutions and play its part in dealing with necessary remediation for homeowners. We are liaising with Government to find a way forward.”
Homes England said: “We expect developers to put people’s safety first during the design, construction and occupation of new homes.
“Upcoming changes will require organisations bidding for our sites to sign up to the Building Safety Charter. Our new approach will also help more smaller builders to bid for our land and help us to address the affordability of homes.”
The Ministry of Communities, Housing and Local Government said: “We’ve always been clear building owners should make their buildings safe without passing on costs to leaseholders – as has happened with more than half of private sector high rise buildings with ACM cladding.
“Meanwhile, we’ve provided £1.6billion to speed up the removal of unsafe materials on the highest risk homes. We are considering options to fund future remediation work.”
If ministers were on our side they’d ban firms until they sort mess
JIM ILLINGWORTH FURY AT PRIORITY HOMES LIST