Construction Solicitors in Essex & Suffolk

Experienced Construction Law Solicitors reducing risk and reacting to problems

We understand that construction and development is a complicated, high-risk business, and that things go awry from time-to-time.  Our Construction Solicitors handle both the technicalities of the issues faced by all parties in the construction and development sector; and the commercial imperatives of early intervention where possible, and decisive action where necessary.  Working for developers, main contractors, sub-contractors and consultants, we can assist in reducing risk and reacting to problems.

Our Construction Law Solicitors have significant regulatory experience and is therefore able to assist in dealing with the regulatory issues that crop up on developments occasionally, whether that be an HSE investigation (following either an incident or a routine inspection); or intervention from other regulatory bodies including local authorities.

What is the Building Safety Bill?

In the aftermath of the tragic Grenfell Tower disaster, the UK Government drafted the Building Safety Bill (the Bill). The Bill’s purpose is to respond to the concerns surrounding building safety, quality and competence and to bring about systemic change within the industry so that disasters, like Grenfell, do not happen in the future. The Bill will put in place new regulatory regimes for building safety and to ensure that residents’ safety is made a greater priority throughout the entire construction process. The Bill introduces a number of new roles, such as an “Accountable Person” who will be responsible for assessing High Rise Building safety risks and a “Building Manager” whose function is to manage the risks identified by the Accountable Person. The Bill will also see a new Building Safety Regulator put in place which will produce a new Code of Conduct for building inspectors and will have enforcement and prosecutorial powers where there have been failures on the part of the Accountable Person or Building Safety Manager. Learn more about all of the details of the Building Safety Bill from our construction law specialists here or contact us for bespoke advice today.

What is cladding on a building and who is responsible for building safety?

The cladding on buildings came into sharp focus in light of the Grenfell Disaster in 2017 and refers to the elements attached to a building to form the non-structural, external surface (such as curtain walling, timber weatherboards and sheet metal coverings). This brought the discussion of build safety responsibility to the fore and the creation of the Building Safety Bill, which looks to introduce a new regulatory regime to drastically improve the safety of High Rise Buildings and hold parties responsible for failures.
Ellisons’ specialist Building Safety team has its finger on the pulse of the constantly evolving build safety landscape and can offer bespoke advice to freeholders, managers and leaseholders on who is responsible for implementing changes. Our experts can advise and assess responsibility, pursue warranty and compensation claims, and recovery costs, when required. If you require more information and wish to understand more about building safety obligations, then contact our Building Safety team today for bespoke guidance.