NEWS
Too many still afraid to call out safety failings, says Apps
T
oo many people in safety-critical roles still feel unable to challenge poor client decisions despite post-Grenfell reforms,
according to campaigning journalist and author Peter Apps.
Speaking at the House of Commons launch of
a new client’s guide to the Building Safety Act, produced by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), Apps said it remained diffi cult to judge how far the industry had changed since the 2017 Grenfell Tower fi re, which claimed 72 lives. He noted that while some organisations had made genuine cultural shifts, others reported little improvement. Apps said many professionals continued to feel
they could not speak out when they identifi ed risks, often because clients prioritised profi t over the needs of building users. He highlighted a recent case where a management consultant raised concerns about transfer slabs – an area fl agged by the Building Safety Regulator – but was told to rewrite their advice rather than have
the scope or budget adjusted. Apps added that construction’s reputation
suff ered unfairly, stressing that it remained an essential industry and expressing hope that the BESA guide would support meaningful change. BESA chief executive David Frise said client decisions carried major social consequences, noting that people spent most of their lives inside buildings commissioned by clients who often still believed the Act “doesn’t apply to us”. He thanked the Association’s Building Safety Act advisory board, led by director of specialist knowledge Rachel Davidson, and emphasised that the guide had been developed with eight partner organisations to refl ect a united industry approach.
The guide aims to address ongoing concerns that many clients continue to base procurement on cost and speed, and are unaware of their legal duties and liabilities. It sets out those responsibilities in plain English and reinforces that the new safety regime applies to all buildings, not
only higher-risk or high-rise residential projects. Jon Vanstone, chair of the Building Safety Regulator’s Industry Competence Committee, said the Act had created clearer expectations for clients and that the BESA guide made these explicit. He urged clients to consider the long- term consequences of early decisions, warning that systems “fail at the beginning” and cannot be corrected by checks later in the process. Lilly Gallafent, CEO of real estate consultancy Cast and a contributor to the guidance, said clients must lead cultural change by allocating risk fairly and focusing on the operational life of buildings. She said the sector was recovering from the diffi cult early stages of the legislation’s rollout and now had a “game-changing environment” for project delivery, with Gateway 3 increasing the emphasis on technical assurance. Gallafent added that the Act brought the industry closer to its long-held goal to “build the right things, make some money, and go home”.
Cooling pushed to the fore as CCC publishes new report B
ritain’s cooling needs have been pushed to the forefront after the Climate Change Committee (CCC) warned that rising
temperatures now pose one of the most immediate threats to daily life. In its new report, A Well- Adapted UK, the CCC says the country must scale up cooling provision across homes and public buildings as heatwaves become more frequent and more dangerous.
The Committee identifi es overheating, alongside
fl ooding and drought, as the UK’s most pressing climate risks. It warns that without intervention, 92% of homes are likely to overheat by 2050. Hospitals, care homes, schools and workplaces are already experiencing heat-related disruption, and the CCC argues that the UK must treat cooling as a core public safety requirement rather than a seasonal concern. The report calls for investment in active and passive cooling measures, including air conditioning, heat pumps, shading and improved
ventilation. It also urges the government to introduce a national maximum workplace temperature to protect workers and encourage wider deployment of cooling technologies. The CCC estimates that around £11 billion a year will be needed across public and private sectors to address climate impacts, noting that the cost of inaction could reach up to 5% of GDP by 2050. Baroness Brown, Chair of the Adaptation Committee, said the UK is already seeing the
eff ects of extreme heat and must act decisively to protect people in homes, hospitals and community settings. She emphasised that proven technologies exist and that adaptation is essential to safeguarding public welfare and economic stability. Responding to the report, Heat Pump Association Chief Executive Charlotte Lee said the fi ndings underline the urgency of preparing buildings for higher temperatures. She noted that heat pumps can provide both heating and cooling from the same system, off ering a long-term, low- carbon solution as the UK adapts to a warmer climate. Lee added that a whole-building approach – combining effi cient cooling, insulation, shading and ventilation – will be essential to reduce grid pressure and protect vulnerable occupants during extreme heat. The CCC’s report positions cooling as a critical component of national resilience, warning that the UK must move quickly to ensure buildings remain safe and habitable as temperatures continue to rise.
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www.acr-news.com • June 2026 7
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