Is building safety still a priority?

 

BECG’s Building Safety Unit (BSU) has undertaken its third report to gather insight across the public and political domain regarding building and fire safety issues.

Since the BSU’s last report in September 2021, the political agenda has shifted significantly – with the creation of the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Secretary of State, Michael Gove’s U-turn on his predecessor’s position regarding funding of remediation costs, and the passing of the Building Safety Act 2022. But has this shift impacted the perception of the Government, and sector’s, performance?

The report shows that while the public still think there is work to be done, it is not considered to be a main priority to MPs. Despite 74% of GB adults feeling that the Government could have done more, or has not done enough, to tackle the crisis, it is only a top three housing and development priority for a quarter of MPs. That the overwhelming majority of MPs support the Government’s approach to proportionality is potentially a factor in this – which is good news for the Government and the public – but also may hint that many feel the job is done.

Location will also be a factor – London MPs are significantly more likely to see building safety as a core concern than the national average (64% vs 25%) and 77% of London residents thinking the Government has not done enough, or could have done more, on building safety. MPs tend to be focussed on their community concerns – whereas the public often see what is happening elsewhere and have concerns it could happen to them, especially if they live in similar-style buildings.

Developers will be interested to see that the polling suggests that consumer confidence continues to be affected by building safety – 52% of the public (61% in London) think public confidence in new development has been affected since Grenfell (up from 49% in August 2021).

But there is a way forward – our research shows that the public are more likely to purchase a new home from a developer who is seen to have a positive reputation on building safety matters (64%) than those who are seen to be doing less.

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