黑洞社区

Developers have told Michael Gove that the cost of repairing mid-rise blocks of flats affected by the fire safety crisis must be shared with government and the wider construction industry.

A statement from the Home Builders鈥� Federation came after the first of a series of crunch meetings between the housebuilders and the housing secretary since Gove鈥檚 decision last week to force them to contribute 拢4bn to pay for remediation work.

Executive chairman Stewart Baseley said the largest builders had built a 鈥渕inority鈥� of the affected buildings and had at any rate already contributed 拢1bn directly to repairs.

He said any further contributions made by developers 鈥渕ust be proportionate, take into account the significant commitments made by industry so far and involve other companies, sectors and organisations who are outside the scope of the Residential Property Developers Tax.

鈥淲e do not believe it should fall to responsible UK housebuilders to fund the remediation of buildings built by foreign companies, developers no longer trading or other parties.

鈥淲e are also keen to see the discussions widened out to include other bodies, not least freeholders and the materials providers who designed, tested and sold materials that developers purchased in good faith.鈥�

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Baseley鈥檚 comments represent a hardening of the group鈥檚 line towards the new policy, which Gove launched last week after he scrapped a plan by his predecessor, Robert Jenrick, to force leaseholders to pay for the cost of fire safety repairs in blocks of between 11m-18m.

Gove said last week all housebuilders with profits of more than 拢10m should contribute to the 拢4bn cost of repairs and threatened to bring in a new tax if housebuilders did not agree a plan to contribute voluntarily by Easter.

Gove met with the HBF and representatives from the top 20 housebuilders at lunchtime yesterday, at which he reiterated his expectation that the industry will cover the cost of repairs, adding that 鈥渘othing was off the table鈥�, according to a levelling up department spokesperson.

After the meeting Baseley said the housebuilders supported the government鈥檚 decision to protect leaseholders from the cost of fire safety repairs and said the industry would engage 鈥渃onstructively鈥� with government over Gove鈥檚 plan.

The government has already levied a 拢2bn Residential Property Developer Tax to part pay for the cost of repairs to buildings over 18m.

Baseley added specifications for all the buildings in need of remediation would have been drawn up by housebuilder in accordance with 黑洞社区 Regulations set by government at the time of construction.

The comments come after Gove said last week he was 鈥済oing after鈥� developers over the cost of cladding repairs.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: 鈥淭he Secretary of State set out the government鈥檚 expectations for industry to cover the costs of fixing unsafe buildings and he reiterated that nothing was off the table.

鈥淸Yesterday鈥檚] roundtable was attended by senior executives from the country鈥檚 biggest developers, and these representatives agreed leaseholders should not pay.

鈥淲e continue to engage with them to ensure they deliver a fully funded action plan by early March.鈥�