SADIQ KHAN reiterated his view that the combustible cladding ban should ‘apply to all new buildings, irrespective of height or use’, with BAFE welcoming his comments.
BAFE reported on the comments by Mr Khan during questioning at the London Assembly, in which the assembly’s Andrew Dismore asked him ‘what dangers do you believe that buildings under 18m with dangerous cladding pose to residents?’. Mr Khan responded: ‘Several recent damaging fires in buildings below 18 metres have demonstrated the danger that unsafe cladding presents to residents. I have always been clear that fire risk does not adhere to strict height thresholds.
‘While I welcomed the government’s decision to review the ban on the use of combustible materials within external wall systems, with a view to lower the threshold to 11m in height, I have long called for this ban to apply to all new buildings, irrespective of height or use. The consultation on this review closed on 25 May 2020 and we are still awaiting the government’s response.
‘I have already implemented tougher fire safety requirements in the London Development Panel 2 (LDP2). As such, all new contracts for housing development on publicly owned land, commissioned via LDP2, require sprinklers in blocks of flats and higher-risk buildings, and extends the combustible cladding ban to residential buildings of any height.’
BAFE chief executive Stephen Adams welcomed the comments, stating: ‘BAFE are pleased to see this conversation continues in the interest of life safety. The Mayor’s comments about the behaviour of fire for any building is unquestionably correct. This rational must extend out further than just the topic of cladding, including the necessity for third party certificated fire risk assessment providers to ensure a building has been appropriately reviewed to mitigate any risk from fire to protect lives.
‘BAFE recently submitted our response to the government’s fire safety consultation which the issue of regulating the fire safety industry, particularly fire risk assessors, with third party certification was stressed. Further official, legally binding guidance is urgently required to determine who is deemed competent to deliver fire safety services to help the responsible person meet their obligations to a high standard.’