Some kind of building standards have been in place in England since 1845. The Building Regulations as we now know them were first introduced in 1965. Standards have changed regularly since 1965 in order to keep abreast of new materials and building techniques. Not all changes
... have been for the better and some materials have had unforeseen problems and dangers. Having set up the building regs regime, the Government then allowed the the system to be interfered with in a way that reduced control over testing and oversight of construction generally.
This was bound to lead to a lowering of standards of both materials and construction. Some changes, like the appointment of "Approved Inspectors" was bound to weaken control over standards of construction and the privatisation of testing stations like Boreham Wood did nothing to
... ensure that materials were fit for purpose in every case. Cladding is a prime example of that. On the construction standard front missing cavity barriers & unsealed breaches in fire compartment walls are just two examples of where things have been allowed to go horribly ....
.... wrong. This has been down to successive governments and their attempts to save money in the main. Poor construction standards and the use of inappropriate materials has been down to irresponsible builders and developers again, mainly to save money. Building Control Depts.
... have been lax in their enforcement of the correct standards and this has not been helped by the existence of approved inspectors who have been allowed to mark their own homework. All of these factors taken together have produced situations like the Grenfell Towers fire and
... but for the grace of God, many others. You will notice that I have not mentioned the part played by leaseholders in this mess, & that is simply because they have played no part. My question therefore is, WHY ARE THRY EXPECTED TO PAY FOR OTHERS MISTAKES?
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
