RICS welcomes the announcement by the Secretary of State, James Brokenshire, at the Conservative Party Conference, banning combustible cladding on all new schools, hospitals, care homes, student accommodation and residential buildings above 18m.

We have been working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government on the issue of fire safety holistically in buildings, and the need to identify higher risk buildings with combustible cladding. The Grenfell fire tragedy drew the world’s attention to the risks of this type of cladding, and we must all work together to ensure a fire like this never happens again.

There remains, however, the issue of existing buildings with combustible cladding, and those high risk buildings that are below 18m, and we will continue to work with the Secretary of State, MHCLG and industry partners to find a solution to these issues.

“This important first step of banning combustible cladding for new higher risk buildings is welcomed, but the problem remains of existing buildings and those buildings with high-risk profiles under 18m. This is not unique to the UK, and unfortunately many buildings around the world are unsafe because of this type of cladding. We will work with our Coalition partners around the world to find global solutions. ”

Gary Strong

RICS Global Standards Director, and Chair of the International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition

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