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Welcome to our Building Safety newsletter - designed to keep you regularly informed on the progress of the Building Safety Programme and fire safety matters affecting the people of Wales.
You can also follow us on X / Twitter using @WGCommunities
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 I am delighted the Senedd voted to pass the Building Safety (Wales) Bill on Tuesday 10 March. This is a major milestone for building safety in Wales. It has taken some time to bring forward this important legislation, but as one of the largest Bills ever considered by the Senedd it has been essential to undertake pain-staking work to ensure the new regime is truly fit for the future. I want to thank our many partners for the commitment and energy you have demonstrated in helping to get to this point. But the work will not end here. As we move to the implementation phase, we will continue to work collaboratively to deliver on the goal of creating a building safety regime to ensure residents are safe in their homes. As some aspects of the Bill will be introduced through secondary legislation, there will be further public consultation. I would encourage those with an interest to engage with that process. We must never forget those who lost their lives in the Grenfell tower fire and those memories must continue to drive our commitment to ensuring such a tragedy never happens in Wales.
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In July 2025 we published our response to the Phase 2 recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
In it we committed to publishing a progress report on the implementation of the Inquiry’s recommendations before the end of this Senedd term.
The progress report was published on 10 March 2026.
We remain fully committed to implementing the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report and will continue to closely monitor the work on an ongoing basis.
Remediation Programme Data
The building safety remediation dashboard continues to be updated at the beginning of each month.
The dashboard can be accessed using the link below:
Building Remediation progress statistics | GOV.WALES
Additional functionality is currently being developed. In February, new filters were introduced to support clearer presentation of the data on remediation progress based on the height of buildings in the programme.
The team welcomes feedback on the dashboard. Comments and suggestions can be emailed to: BuildingSafety@gov.wales
Remediation Works Contracts
The Welsh Government’s building safety developer contract places an obligation on developers to enter into a remediation works contract with responsible entities.
The building safety team is working with UK Government colleagues on a template works contract. The Cabinet Secretary told a recent meeting of the Strategic Stakeholder Group she had also commissioned a bespoke piece of work to support responsible entities in Wales to negotiate remediation works contracts. The building safety team will continue to work with the UK Government on a template works contract over the coming months.
The Senedd voted to pass the Building Safety (Wales) Bill on Tuesday 10 March. The record of proceedings can be viewed here. Work on implementing the new building safety regime will begin immediately.
A number of important amendments to the Bill were previously agreed, including:
- A duty on the Welsh Ministers to make Regulations identifying a local authority as the Building Safety Authority for each Fire and Rescue Authority area,
- A power for Building Safety Authorities to issue Fixed Penalty Notices in respect of some offences.
- A duty on the Welsh Ministers, by regulations, to provide that the residential property tribunal may make remediation orders and remediation contribution orders for the purposes of meeting costs incurred in remedying, or otherwise in connection with, relevant defects relating to a relevant building.
Further information on the Bill can be found here.
The UK Government has published a draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny in the UK Parliament. It has also launched a consultation on the implementation of a future ban on the use of leasehold for new flats. The Bill also includes provisions to cap ground rent in existing leases to £250 per year, and to abolish leasehold forfeiture.
You can find more information about proposed changes, as well as links to the draft Bill and consultation in the Cabinet Secretary’s Written Statement.
We are pleased to announce the introduction of new regulations that strengthen the building control system for higher-risk buildings in Wales, alongside broader updates to existing building regulations. These changes are part of our ongoing commitment to improving building safety for everyone across Wales.
The new regulations, which take effect from 1 July 2026, include the following key updates:
- Clear responsibilities and competence standards for those involved in building work (dutyholders).
- Golden Thread of building information for higher-risk buildings, ensuring vital safety information from the design and construction phase is maintained and readily accessible.
- The introduction of gateway processes for higher-risk building projects.
- Mandatory reporting of any significant safety occurrences during work on higher-risk buildings.
- Compliance and Stop Notices that give new enforcement powers for local authority building control.
- Reform to applications for non-higher-risk building work.
- Building control approval will now lapse automatically if work does not commence within three years.
We will be hosting two webinars in April to discuss the upcoming changes to the Building Regulations 2010 and the Building (Higher-Risk Building Procedures) (Wales) Regulations 2025. The webinar on 21 April will cover changes to the Building Regulations 2010 and associated legislation, while the webinar on 28 April will focus on the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (Wales) Regulations 2025.
There will be an opportunity to ask questions during each webinar, and you may submit questions in advance by contacting us before 10 April 2026.
If you would like to attend, please contact the team at enquiries.brconstruction@gov.wales stating your language preference (English or Welsh).
These regulations support the ongoing delivery of the Building Safety Act 2022 in Wales. To note, they are separate from the Building Safety (Wales) Bill, which focusses on the regulation of occupied buildings rather than requirements for how building work is carried out and controlled.
For more details, visit our Building regulations circulars online: Building regulations circulars | GOV.WALES
Centrick’s Experience with the Welsh Building Safety Fund: Golate Court
Golate Court is a mixed-use residential building situated in the heart of Cardiff city centre, comprising of 82 leasehold apartments. Like many high-rise buildings across the UK, Golate Court was identified as needing remediation due to life-critical fire safety defects.
Centrick first became aware of the Welsh Building Safety Fund through Welsh Government communications and engagement events. While the project itself is set to cost several million pounds, the application process was well-managed, supported by clear guidance and responsive communication from Welsh Government and their delivery partners.
We found the process collaborative, our queries were dealt with promptly, and it was reassuring to have consistent access to professionals who understood the urgency and complexity of what we were dealing with.
“Golate Court represents one of the more complex schemes we’ve worked on, but also one of the most collaborative,” says Connor Scherer, Centrick’s Building Safety Director. “The support and engagement from the Welsh Government and their delivery team have been instrumental in moving this forward. Based on our experience, we would encourage managing agents not yet involved with the Welsh Building Safety Fund to register their interest and apply for support. Works have now started on site in December 2025, with the main contractor setting up site and the first phase of scaffolding due to go up imminently, works will take place over the next 24 months delivering a safer future for all residents at Golate Court.”
Centrick, Managing Agent of Golate Court.
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