In February Kate Warren and I blogged about the proposed 'cladding levy' and raised a number of queries as to how this might look. Click here for our February blog
Well, we now have an indication. The government launched a consultation about the Building Safety Levy on 21 July
The consultation is based on the levy applying “to developments in England seeking building control approval from the Building Safety Regulator, unless otherwise excluded. The proposed new regime applies to new high-rise residential buildings, care homes, and hospitals which are 18 metres or more in height, or at least seven storeys”
The consultation states that conversions, such as a change from office to residential use, are intended to be caught by the levy, and it seems that student accommodation may also be caught
The government is consulting on whether the following should be excluded from payment of the levy:
- Affordable housing
- Hospitals
- SMEs
- Refurbishments
The levy is intended to be paid by the party for whom the works are being carried out and the government is currently considering two alternatives for calculating the amount of the levy:
- a charge per square metre of the entire internal floor area, subject to certain exclusions, or
- a fee per residential unit in scope of the levy
Click here for the consultation which lasts until the 15 October 2021
Our content explained
Every piece of content we create is correct on the date it’s published but please don’t rely on it as legal advice. If you’d like to speak to us about your own legal requirements, please contact one of our expert lawyers.