Homes England, the Government’s housing delivery agency, has become a Registered Signatory of the Building Safety Charter.
This Charter, developed by leaders within the industry and supported by Government, responds to recommendations by seeking to create positive change in the industry’s approach to safety. The registered Signatories commit to putting people’s safety first during the construction and occupation of residential buildings.
Following the recent news that those looking to use the new Help to Buy scheme must have signed the Building Safety Charter and comply with other quality standards, Homes England is asking others to follow its lead and explore options that will require developers and individual organisations to also become Registered Signatories of the Charter.
Designing and constructing buildings that are safe to live in is a fundamental responsibility of everyone working in the built environment. Investigations carried out following the tragedy which happened at the Grenfell Tower fire have shown up that there have been some issues overlooked when it comes to the safety of residents and customers – therefore things are set to change.
Homes England plans to make the housing market work for everyone and leverage its role in the sector and build a consensus around transparency and the priority of resident’s safety.
It is a positive thing for the sector as it will help with the Homes England’s commitment to the Charter and we may even see an increasing number of organisations and sectors within the construction industry becoming Registered Signatories of the Charter.
As we look to next year and how the Charter will utilise benchmarking and verification to underpin its engagement with the entire industry to drive the need for positive behaviour change in the safety of the built environment.
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