The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today responded to the government’s plans to bring an end to unsafe cladding.
RIBA Fire Safety Expert Panel Chair, Jane Duncan, said:
“Whilst additional funding to speed-up cladding remediation on residential buildings above 18 metres must be welcomed, I am frankly shocked by the government’s continued underestimation and lack of urgency in dealing with the immense scale of our building safety crisis.
Fire does not discriminate by height. By only agreeing to fund removal of dangerous cladding removal on high-risk residential buildings above 18 metres, and offering a second-rate loan scheme to the desperate owners of buildings above 11 meters, policymakers are continuing to fail thousands of vulnerable people.
We will continue to call for urgent action to remove combustible cladding on all high-risk buildings, alongside mandatory requirements for alternative means of escape, sprinkler systems and centrally addressable fire alarms.
We await further detail, but it would be naïve to think these measures alone will solve the terrifying reality that so many people living in unsafe buildings face through no fault of their own.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Press contact: Abigail.Chiswell-White@riba.org or +44 (0) 20 7307 3811.
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Follow @RIBA on Twitter for regular updates.
