Lindner Prater and St James have been convicted of health and safety breaches following the death of a man struck by a falling window from the Corniche residential tower in London. Wintech and Foster + Partners were cleared, and sentencing for the convicted parties is due at Inner London Crown Court in September 2026.
Awaab’s Law is set to expand from 30 November, extending existing response timeframes beyond damp and mould to a wider range of hazards in social housing, including excess cold and heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and explosion, electrical hazards, and domestic hygiene. The article also highlights that the new guidance places strong emphasis on the landlord’s initial triage judgment and on addressing root causes rather than temporary fixes.
Poplar HARCA is pursuing a £3.4m claim against Rydon Construction over alleged fire-safety and cladding defects at two east London residential buildings. The housing association says the buildings were not fit for habitation when completed and that remediation has already been carried out using public funding and its own resources.
A domestic building firm has been fined £60,000 after a worker suffered serious injuries in a fall through an unprotected roof light during roof refurbishment in Fulham. The Health and Safety Executive found that suitable fall protection measures were not in place and that the company breached Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
Construction News reports that Sto Ltd has been linked to five High Court cases over historic StoTherm Classic cladding installations, with alleged losses and remediation costs exceeding £100m. The company entered administration before the claims were resolved, and administrators say they are still assessing historical cladding liabilities and the impact on unsecured creditors.
The article reports that the administrator of a collapsed product firm says it is facing £135m of claims, mainly related to cladding. It also notes a High Court order in June requiring the German parent of Sto Ltd to pay Mulalley £1.8m for costs incurred replacing a cladding system at an Essex tower block.
Salford City Council is proposing a citywide licensing scheme for certain Section 257 HMOs following inspections that found widespread non-compliance with expected standards. The council says the measure would improve oversight and drive compliance with building safety requirements, while landlord consultation responses were largely opposed.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation has extended two improvement notices served on Bouygues Travaux Publics SAS and Laing O’Rourke Delivery Ltd, partners in the Bylor joint venture at Hinkley Point C, after a worker was seriously injured by a falling formwork panel. The regulator said the firms had made progress but still need more time to demonstrate full compliance with the notices, which relate to planning, management and monitoring of construction work under CDM 2015.
The guidance explains how planning enforcement applies where a developer is subject to the Responsible Actors Scheme (RAS) prohibitions under the Building Safety (Responsible Actors Scheme and Prohibitions) Regulations 2023. It confirms that prohibited developers may still obtain planning permission, but cannot carry out prohibited major development unless an exception applies, and local planning authorities are expected to check the published prohibited-developers list.
The article examines concerns raised about the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, arguing that greater control for unit holders may also bring significant financial, legal and governance responsibilities. It highlights that key operational details, including voting rights and dispute resolution, are expected to be set out in future regulations rather than in the bill itself.
Research cited by the Chartered Institute of Building indicates widespread gaps in awareness and management of respirable crystalline silica among housing sector construction managers. The article highlights that many respondents were not consistently using exposure plans, were unaware of the workplace exposure limit, and did not fully understand the health risks, prompting calls for stronger controls and better training.
The article reports that Avant Homes has agreed a repayment plan with MHCLG allowing remediation costs under the Developer Remediation Contract to be funded by government and repaid over several years. The arrangement has drawn criticism from another DRC signatory, while Avant says it provides liquidity support and MHCLG says it protects taxpayers and helps speed up cladding removal.
