The Week That Was - 11 July 2025

Welcome to the week that was, a round-up of key events in the construction sector over the last seven days.

Court of Appeal considers appeal against the First Tier Tribunal decision to grant remediation contribution orders

Triathlon Homes LLP V Stratford Village Development Partnership & Others case was a leapfrog appeal to the Court of Appeal (COA) against the FTT’s decision to grant remediation contribution orders (RCOs) under the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA).  It involved fire safety defects in five tower blocks in Stratford, developed by SVDP and linked to Get Living.  The FTT found it just and equitable to make RCOs, even for costs incurred before section 124 came into force.  Both grounds of appeal were dismissed. The COA praised the FTT’s reasoning and counsel’s arguments.

In most part, the COA endorsed the strong protection of the public purse on the basis that the developer sits at the top of the 'hierarchy' of those parties made responsible for costs under the BSA.  The COA, however, acknowledges that there may be cases where it would not be just and equitable to make an RCO, even if the result was that the costs would be funded by the public.  The example postulated being where an associated company has no other connection with landlord against whom an RCO was sought and nothing to do with the development and was engaged in entirely different businesses.

For further details, please click here.

Government Unveils £92.8bn Transport Investment to Drive Growth and Connectivity

The UK government has announced over £92.8bn in funding for more than 50 transport projects across England and Wales, aiming to spur economic growth, improve connectivity, and unlock housing.  Key upgrades include the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine dual carriageway, several major road improvements in the Midlands and North, and £1bn for 28 local road schemes.  On rail, £27m will restore services between Portishead and Bristol, alongside new stations and the ambitious Midlands Rail Hub, expected to create nearly 13,000 jobs.  Digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line will also be funded.  The full package supports 42,000 jobs, 39,000 homes, and potentially 1.5 million more homes over five years.  Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called it the “biggest ever boost” for city regions in the North and Midlands.  Industry bodies welcomed the investment, highlighting its role in strengthening supply chains and supporting sustainable national growth.  The investment was enabled by recent Spending Review measures.

For further details, please click here.

Inquiry into building safety regulation

On 18 June 2025 the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee launched an inquiry into building safety regulation, with a particular focus on the work of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), which was established following the Building Safety Act 2022.

The Committee said concerns had been raised by some in the housing sector that delays in approvals by the BSR have slowed down the delivery of new buildings and homes.  Further information is available here.

The Committee heard oral evidence on the BSR on 24 June and 1 July 2025. One of the suggestions the BSR has made to speed up approvals is to issue notices on an organisation-by-organisation basis, rather than the current system of going building by building (Q32 on 1 July 2025).

On 30 June 2025 the Government announced reforms to the BSR to "bring new leadership, investment and process to accelerate housebuilding". Read more here.

The reforms include a new fast track process for newbuild applications and moving the BSR from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.  The new body will be headed by Andy Roe who was previously Commissioner of London Fire Brigade.

However, on 8 July 2025 Building Magazine reported that some in the building industry do not think the Government's 'shake-up' of the BSR will make much of a difference. Read the article here.

Five leading contractors support industry initiative to address shortcomings in project delivery

Five contractors have joined as founding members of the newly established Centre for Construction Best Practice (CCBP), as part of a coordinated effort to tackle persistent challenges in project delivery including skills shortages, supply chain fragility and fragmented risk allocated.

One of the ways the CCBP aims to achieve this is by fostering earlier collaboration between clients and delivery teams which will allow contractors and researchers to come together to enable two-way learning and the development of practical solutions.

The group will also facilitate industry-wide working groups and events linking academics and practitioners and encourage academic and industry engagement on procurement, sustainability and competency.

Please see here for more information.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has initiated a consultation on the introduction of reforms to leasehold service charges

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has opened a consultation on the implementation of Part 4 of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (LFRA 2024) and is inviting feedback on additional proposed reforms concerning leasehold charges and services.

The consultation, which closes on 26 September 2025, proposes, among other things, the following;

1. Introduction of new standardised service charge documentation (incorporating annual reports and demand forms);
2. Enhanced transparency for building insurance policies; and
3. Rebalancing the litigation costs regime and removing barriers for leaseholders to challenge their landlord

Further, proposals are being made to implement the LFRA 2024 in the expectation that it will address current imbalances of the litigation costs regime by requiring landlords to obtain court or tribunal approval before recovering such costs from leaseholders.

Please see here for more information.

With thanks to Jonathan Carrington, Sikander Azam, Kalia Shellard.

Disclaimer: The information in this publication is for guidance purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.  We attempt to ensure that the content is current as at the date of publication, but we do not guarantee that it remains up to date.  You should seek legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any of the content.