Leaseholders worried about fire safety works wait

Ted Peskett Local Democracy Reporter

Leaseholders living in Cardiff high rise flats that still need essential fire-safety work done to them are worried about the amount of time it is taking for developers to get started.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that a works contract to rectify a number of fire safety and non-fire safety defects at the Celestia apartments complex in Cardiff Bay was supposed to be signed earlier this month.

However, leaseholders have accused the developer behind the apartments, Barratt Redrow, of continuing to add clauses to the contract which is preventing it from being signed.

The company is one of the major developers in Wales that has signed the Welsh Government’s building safety pact and has said it is prepared to carry out and pay for works to address fire safety and non-fire safety external façade defects.

Information shared with leaseholders by Celestia Management Company Limited (CMCL) updating them on progress to put their homes right shows that a works contract was expected to be signed in March.

The information, presented in a timeline, claims that Barratt Redrow continued to add clauses to the work contract “in their favour” in April.

Getting the works contract over the line would begin the process of fixing two major issues leaseholders have been fighting to get sorted for years.

These include the addressing of external wall fire defects and wooden cladding and the replacement of render on the sides of buildings which has come loose at certain sections in the past.

Barratt Redrow said it remained “poised” to start remediation work at Celestia and that it had a positive meeting with the building’s management company recently.

The impact of issues affecting Celestia go beyond safety concerns, according to people living there.

Leaseholders are having to pay ever increasing service charges and some have expressed doubt over whether or not they will be able to sell their homes in the future.

A spokesperson for Barratt Redrow said: “At Celestia, we remain poised to start remediation works in line with our commitments under the Welsh Government’s pledge deed of bilateral contract.

“Following a positive meeting with the Celestia Management Company last week, we are hopeful that the Works Contract will be agreed imminently.”

Following a lengthy legal process, leaseholders at Celestia welcomed Redrow’s offer in April 2024 to fund and undertake remediation work.

Leaseholders are also trying to get Barratt Redrow to accept responsibility for a number of other non-fire related defects.

These include issues with soil stacks, water ingress on windows and the flooding of a nearby path that goes along the dockside.

All large developers in Wales have signed a Welsh Government building safety pact which requires them to make all buildings of 11m or more in height fire-safe.

However, many leaseholders and residents in high-rise buildings are still waiting for work to be completed and continue to call for developers to be made responsible for fixing other faults not related to fire safety.

A Welsh Government update in December, 2024, on building remediation across the country, showed work had been completed on 83 out of 433 buildings in the Welsh Building Safety Programme.

Of these 433 buildings, 252 are private tenure buildings and 181 are social housing buildings.

The Welsh Government’s update at the time also showed that work had started on 102 buildings and that plans were in development for work on a further 206 buildings.

Seven buildings do not require any fire safety works, according to the Welsh Government.

They are also working with the developers behind the remaining 35 buildings to identify any remediation needs.