Views sought on new Cladding Remediation Bill

MSPs have called for views on a new Scottish Government bill to reduce the risk to life from unsafe cladding on residential buildings.

The newly introduced Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill gives powers to Scottish Ministers to assess and take action in relation to certain types of buildings with unsafe cladding. It represents the Scottish Government's legislative response to the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy in 2017.

For a building to be assessed under the bill, it must have been built or refurbished between 1 June 1992 and 1 June 2022. The building must contain at least one residential unit and be at least 11m tall.

Ministers will need to record cladding assessments and remediation works in a register. This register will include assessment dates, details of any repairs, and when the work finished. This will make information about buildings with cladding repairs more easily available.

The bill also allows ministers to create a responsible developers scheme by secondary legislation. The scheme would set conditions for developers to be members of the scheme, to encourage remediation works to be undertaken. Persons eligible who do not become members of a scheme may become "prohibited developers", prevented from carrying out prescribed types of development.

Find the call for views. Responses close on 8 December 2023.