Taylor Wimpey pledges £125m for cladding and fire safety retrofits

Aaron Morby 3 years ago
Share

House builder Taylor Wimpey has set aside £125m to fund fire safety and cladding improvements to buildings.

Redfern said Taylor Wimpey had taken the decision to shoulder the cost for customer and leaseholders of ensuring buildings are safe.
Redfern said Taylor Wimpey had taken the decision to shoulder the cost for customer and leaseholders of ensuring buildings are safe.

The cash will support building owners and leaseholders and applies to Taylor Wimpey apartment buildings constructed over the last 20 years, including apartment buildings below 18m.

The latest cash is on top of the £40m provided after Grenfell to fund cladding removal. So far 12 out of 19 blocks have been reclad.

Pete Redfern, chief executive, said that Taylor Wimpey had now identified 232 apartment buildings that may require fire safety works under External Wall Fire Safety (EWS1) requirements.

He said: “This is a complex and exceptional situation, but Taylor Wimpey is focused on doing the right thing for its customers.

“The Board has determined that we will fund and oversee the improvement works of apartment buildings in our ownership, regardless of eligibility for the UK Government Building Safety Fund, to make them safe and mortgageable by achieving external fire wall standards EWS1 certification.

“If Taylor Wimpey no longer owns the building and it is not eligible for the Building Safety Fund, or similar support that may be announced in the future, where a freeholder produces a fair and proportionate plan for fire safety improvement works following EWS1 assessment, we will contribute funding to bring those buildings up to the standards.

“Whilst the legal responsibility continues to rest with the building owner, we will also provide advice and other assistance where appropriate.”

Taylor Wimpey unveiled the retrofit plan as it announced results for a very challenging 2020.

Pre-tax profit slumped by just over two-thirds to £264m from revenue down 36% to £2.79bn.

Total UK home completions including joint ventures fell 39% to 9,609 in 2020, due primarily to the impact on production capacity during the second quarter shutdown.

Average selling prices on private completions increased by 5.9% to £323k (2019: £305k), with the overall average selling price increasing to £288k (2019: £269k), driven mostly by change in mix.

Redfern said: “Operating performance has bounced back strongly in the second half of 2020, with build capacity returning to near normal levels and strong sales.”

He said Taylor Wimpey now enjoyed a record forward order book of 10,685 homes and was focused on delivering cost-saving and simplification with annual savings of £16m from 2021

Redfern said: “We are confident in the medium term performance of the housing market and therefore accelerated our land purchases from May 2020 as high-quality land became available at attractive rates.

“We are now focusing on driving efficiencies across the business, the roll out of our new house type range and implementing our ambitious new environmental strategy.”

Latest news

Osborne staff start looking for new jobs

"Open to Work" flags appear on LinkedIn profiles
7 hours ago

Plan rejected for 42-storey tower above historic building

Councillor describes as ludicrous plan to build 300 flats above Georgian mansion
8 hours ago

Ventilation deal could hike product prices for contractors

Watchdogs at CMA launch probe after duct firm acquires rival
8 hours ago

Tide gets go-ahead for London 412 student flats scheme

Volumetric developer secures planning for West Ealing project
7 hours ago

Green light for £75m Friar Gate Goods Yard in Derby

Construction set to start this summer on revamp of historic buildings
7 hours ago

Robertson to deliver £45m Newcastle NHS Trust works

Capital works will be focused on Freeman Hospital and the Royal Victoria Infirmary sites
7 hours ago

Winners named for £2bn Healthy Homes framework

CHIC reveals line-up of over 40 firms for net zero and building safety works
8 hours ago

Plan lodged for tallest skyscraper outside London

Developer Salboy submits plan for 76-storey Manchester resi tower
1 day ago

Curo starts £170m race for new homes framework

Bath housing association plans to build up to 300 homes a year
1 day ago

Gove approves major Cambridge North mixed-use scheme

Government backs controversial scheme of 424 flats and 600,000 sq ft of tech and lab space
1 day ago

Pontins holiday park to house Sizewell C builders

Suffolk holiday park to house 500 nuclear construction workers
1 day ago

Adrian Bloor targets 1,000 homes-a-year

Expansion plans after major investment into challenger house building business HarperCrewe
1 day ago

Housing firm fined £528,000 after cable strike

Maintenance workers given no information on underground services
1 day ago

Berkeley subbies face six weeks without payments

Introduction of new finance software means payment hiatus for suppliers
2 days ago

Pagabo reveals 56 winners of latest £1.6bn retrofit deal

Decarbonisation Solutions Framework launched: Full list of winners
2 days ago

Go-ahead for £100m Liverpool Love Lane flats

500-flat scheme will be built across four blocks in Vauxhall area of city
2 days ago

Unions win HS2 site access battle at Old Oak Common job

Skanska, Costain, Strabag JV now the last denying unions access to HS2 sites
2 days ago

Contractors jack 1,100t viaduct into place in 13-hour operation

158m-long composite deck structure jacked into place 10-hours ahead of schedule
2 days ago

Wates wins former Daily Mail printworks transformation

British Land advances major cultural venue at London’s Canada Water
3 days ago

Mace poaches Ramboll chief to be Head of Engineering

Martin Feakes will develop civil and structural engineering offer at Mace
3 days ago

Subcontractors form alliance for major civils jobs

Trio of specialists join forces to collaborate and offer Tier 1 contractors a turnkey solution
3 days ago

Fear of supply chain failures boosting collaboration

Procurement survey also reveals project bank account use is rising
3 days ago

Wates sets up business to target 160,000 mouldy social homes

Healthy Homes service will be offered to social landlords across England
3 days ago

Higgins wins £75m Peabody Passive House job

Latest phase of Deptford Landings to start construction
3 days ago

Contractors and unions agree Sizewell C working deal

New deal offers improved sick pay and parental leave over Hinkley Point deal
4 days ago

Competition chiefs win legal fight for more construction raids

High Court rules CMA officials can raid a domestic property as part of investigation
4 days ago

More Osborne companies file administration notices

Three more divisions lodge notices with court
4 days ago

McLaren wins multi-storey urban logistics contract

South London win with British Land is pioneering urban logistics hub
4 days ago

Big social housing schemes at risk over funding uncertainty

Housing associations warn uncertainty over public funding beyond 2026 is curbing new schemes
4 days ago

Kier wins Worcestershire town centre renewal

Firm secures Bromsgrove commercial and cultural hub project
4 days ago

Contractor services