Latest insights, Legal Victory Ensures The Safety in Vista Tower. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities sued Grey GR, which is ultimately owned by Railpen. A scheme that administers £34 billion in railway pension assets, for failing to address major construction safety concerns in Vista Tower in Stevenage.
Government Triumph: Legal Victory Ensures Safety in Vista Tower
2019 saw the discovery of several fire safety concerns in the structure, two years after the Grenfell Tower catastrophe. That made cladding hazards more well-known. After the issues were not resolved in October 2022. Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove started legal action against Grey GR, the freehold owner.
Following the trial in March 2024. The court ruled in favour of the government on May 9th and will issue a remediation order requiring Grey GR. To address building safety concerns within a specified period of time.
Railpen’s Grey GR Sued for Safety Failures in Vista Tower
“Leaseholders have lived with uncertainty for far too long. While Grey GR delayed essential works to make homes safe,” said Secretary of State Michael Gove. Leaseholders in Vista Tower and throughout the nation have won with this ruling.
He went on, “It is really regrettable that Railpen. The ultimate owner of Grey GR and manager of £34 billion in “assets,” has left leaseholders in this state of uncertainty. Both innocent lessees and railroad workers whose pensions are invested in this fund are entitled to better.
“Every building owner should take note of this court case. We shall see you in court if you do not repair your dangerous buildings and guarantee the safety of the locals. Until we get leaseholders justice, we won’t stop.
First brought by the government under the authority granted by the Building Safety Act 2022 was the Vista Tower case.
Building Safety Act 2022: Landmark Ruling for Leaseholder Justice
After the legal action got underway, Grey started construction on Vista Tower in January 2024. A deadline for finishing the work will be specified in the remedial order, failing which Grey may be penalised by the court.
In addition, the government is requesting cleanup orders for five more Grey GR structures that are undergoing or will undergo trials throughout the next year. This covers The Chocolate Box in Bournemouth, where Grey has now begun cleanup work at last following government legal action.
A representative of Grey GR said, “Our top concern has always been and always will be resident safety. Remediating the structures for which we are accountable has always been our top priority. Even Vista Tower, for which we have made significant headway. The Department of Levelling Up Housing & Communities. (DLUHC) acknowledged that Grey was committed to repairing Vista Tower during the last hearing.
Grey GR Faces Legal Action: Ensuring Safety in Housing Structures
“While we are pleased with the tribunal’s decision to issue a remediation order only to provide an additional “backstop to give reassurance” to leaseholders. It is significant to note the tribunal’s determination that this is “not a fault-based order”. Nor that the terms of the order will change the timeline for delivery of the agreed remediation. The order is in fact predicated only on the plans that Grey has previously submitted and is currently being worked on.
The tribunal further said that because Grey had evaluated Vista Tower’s fire safety in accordance with the government’s own intricate guidelines, criticism of the delays brought about by his application for money from the Building Safety Fund was “misplaced.”
“The building’s internal repairs were finished in 2023, despite DLUHC’s claim. And the substantial restorative work on the external façade started early this year. The court acknowledged that we can expedite the process. And we are still confident that we will complete all work by our provisional completion date of autumn 2025.
Building Legal Safety at Stake: Government’s Crackdown on Grey GR
“As was explained during the hearing, we have encountered multiple setbacks in our quest to get the clarification we require from DLUHC to move remediation along at a faster rate. When it has been feasible, we have communicated with the government extensively. But we have encountered sluggish, if not nonexistent, answers to our questions, frequently shifting timelines and requirements, and goalpost moving.
“After the ruling, we hope to be able to go on and keep contributing to the solution of a problem that was not our fault and give leaseholders safer homes.”
Against Legal, Wallace Estates, another freeholder, the government has already obtained four remediation orders.
Leave a Reply