黑洞社区

Vistry has become the latest major UK housebuilder to indicate its intention to sign the government contract drawn up to underpin the 拢2.5bn cladding pledge to undertake fire safety repairs on historic buildings.

A Vistry spokesperson told 黑洞社区鈥檚 sister title Housing Today it was currently studying the detail of the contract with a view to signing it.

The statement follows similar words from Barratt, the UK鈥檚 biggest housebuilder, and Persimmon, the most profitable, both of which after reviewing the detail.

The contract commits housebuilders to undertake life-critical fire safety repairs on all buildings constructed by them going back 30 years.

The wording of the final contract, published on Monday, has been the subject of intense negotiation. Housebuilders initially refused to sign the version presented by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), which they said left them open to a range of much broader liabilities.

However, , housing secretary Michael Gove is understood to have compromised on the wording, ensuring that housebuilders will not be liable to pay for general 鈥渂etterment鈥� of homes and clarifying the liability in joint venture developments.

A spokesperson for Vistry, which completed a 拢1.1bn takeover of partnerships housebuilder Countryside in November last year, said: 鈥淲e remain focused on delivering high-quality homes including addressing the shortage of much-needed affordable housing.

鈥淲e are currently looking at the detail [of the contract], with a view to signing the contract and will continue to engage with the government.鈥�

Other major housebuilders have remained tight-lipped on the issue, however. Berkeley Group, the biggest builder of high-rise housing among the listed developers, declined to discuss the subject when approached by Housing Today, while Taylor Wimpey and Gleeson have not responded to requests for comment.

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>> See also:

A spokesperson for Bellway did respond to requests to comment, but refused to indicate whether the firm intends to sign the contract. The spokesperson said: 鈥淏ellway remains committed to the principle made within the government鈥檚 building safety pledge, and has already started remediation at a number of developments.

鈥淏ellway is currently in the process of reviewing the contract shared by DLUHC.鈥�

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) estimates the cost of repairs to be undertaken under the cladding pledge to be in the region of 拢2.5bn, with 49 developers having signed up.

On Monday the housing secretary or face being driven out of business under a new 鈥渞esponsible actors scheme鈥� to be brought in by the government. This will have the power to stop named firms from receiving building control or planning approvals.

The HBF has repeatedly argued for the government to widen its focus to ensure that other parts of the industry, particularly foreign-owned developers and cladding manufacturers, are also targeted to pay the cost of solving the post-Grenfell fire safety crisis.