RE: Construction will not stop20 Apr 2021 14:25
Cladding crisis could cost more than £50bn, contractor says
NEWS
20.04.21
11:15 AMBY DOMINIC BRADY
Remediation costs for cladding issues in the UK could top £50bn, 10 times the amount made available by the government, a specialist contractor has estimated.
Colmore Tang Construction, a Midlands-based cladding specialist, said that based on the cost of 20 recent remediation projects it has led on, the true cost of the cladding crisis is likely to be £50bn.
That equates to one third of the annual output of the whole construction industry.
So far the government has made £5bn available to fund cladding remediation works, while the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee has said costs could be closer to £15bn.
Both estimates are eclipsed by the analysis from Colmore Tang, which suggested that costing methodology from professionals submitting bids to the £1bn Building Safety Fund often did not accurately reflect the full scope of works.
Based on the firm’s pricing, the cost of remediation for the estimated 5,000 buildings taller than 18m requiring an External Wall System (EWS) certificate could reach £25bn if all required cladding removal and replacement.
A further 35,000 blocks between 11m and 18m could amount to costs of £70bn, taking combined costs to £95bn.
But Colmore Tang said it has taken an “optimistic view”, leaving the total at £50bn.