Related insights: Projects, Construction and Infrastructure

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Scotland: new cladding legislation and other plans to enhance building safety

22 Jan 2024
"Progress to identify, assess and fix unsafe cladding on Scotland’s medium and high-rise multi-residential buildings will be accelerated", according to the Scottish Government, which recently published its Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill (Bill).

The Bill has been introduced to the Scottish Parliament as part of the 2023/2024 Programme for Government, with the aim of supporting the delivery of the Scottish Cladding Remediation Programme and speeding up the remediation process. The Bill's explanatory note advises that all provisions are intended to contribute towards eliminating or mitigating the risks to human life that are created or exacerbated by the external wall cladding systems of buildings that are at least partly residential.

There are three key features of the Bill, which are covered in Parts 1, 2 and 4 of the Bill, and detailed below. (In case you are interested, Part 3 covers individual liability where an organisation commits an offence, and Part 5 addresses interpretation of the Bill).
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Building safety: what is mandatory occurrence reporting?

17 Jan 2024
A new mandatory occurrence reporting system has been established through secondary legislation, under the umbrella of the Building Safety Act 2022.

The secondary legislation in question is the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023 (Regulations), which relates to higher risk buildings (HRBs) in England.
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Should building standards sanctions be stricter in Scotland?

17 Jan 2024
The Scottish Government is seeking views on whether stricter sanctions would improve building standards.

In its Building Standards Enforcement and Sanctions Consultation, the Scottish Government sets out its proposed changes relating to various provisions of the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (Act).
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Construction's 2023: past, present and future

22 Dec 2023
What a year it's been for construction.

Year on year the industry has been beset with challenges - COVID-19, Brexit, the Ukraine war, extreme global adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, the energy and cost of living crises - and 2023 was no different.

So, what were the key themes for construction in 2023, and what can we expect in 2024?
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Procurement Act 2023: Government launches first guidance and training initiatives

11 Dec 2023
The Procurement Act received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023 and was introduced to reform the UK's public procurement regime in the wake of Brexit. The Act aims to place the following factors at the centre of the procurement process: value for money, public good, transparency, integrity, equal treatment and non-discrimination. However, its introduction still creates a level of uncertainty and concern for interested parties who need to operate under the Act once it has been implemented (currently expected in October 2024).
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Building safety in brief: defects claims and liability

07 Dec 2023
The building safety regime has been changing for a number of years now, with the most substantial changes ushered in under the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) and various subsequent regulations stemming from it.

This factsheet gives a high-level overview of some of the key changes around defects claims and liability under the BSA and these subsequent regulations (applies to England only).