The housing secretary Robert Jenrick has announced a new £3.5bn fund to fix unsafe cladding on high-rise buildings in England at no cost to residents, along with further loans for leaseholders to sort similar problems in mid-rise buildings.
The grants will be offered to leaseholders in residential buildings in England over 18 metres tall, or above six storeys. The plan is that the funding will pay for the remedial works for any buildings requiring the removal of unsafe cladding.
While the funding is available for high rise buildings, the government has announced that buildings between four and six storeys will not be covered by grants, but will be able to access a new system of long-term low-interest loans where owners would never have to pay more than £50 per month.
Mr Jenrick also announced a new levy on developers of future high rises to cover the cost of grants and separate new tax on residential property development in the UK from 2022.
Source: The Guardian