Wedlake Bell Insights

    • Article
    • Aug 18, 2026

    Government moves to make higher-risk building safety requirements more proportionate

    The objective is to strike the right balance between maintaining robust oversight of safety-critical works, allowing necessary building work to proceed efficiently, avoiding unnecessary delays and reducing excessive documentation and administrative requirements. Early signs of a more proportionate approach Telecommunications

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    • Article
    • Aug 11, 2026

    What the Commercial Payments Bill could mean for the construction industry

    The Commercial Payments Bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 19 May 2026 and has recently passed Committee Stage. While amendments remain possible as it progresses through Parliament, the Bill proposes significant reforms aimed at tackling late payment

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    • Building Safety Act
    • Jul 7, 2026

    Building Liability Orders – the net widens

    The first reported decision on BLOs appeared in 2025. In the last two months alone, two further significant decisions have underlined just how powerful – and far-reaching – these orders are. Crest Nicholson v Ardmore was the first fully contested

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    • Article
    • May 27, 2026

    Are you ready for the Building Safety Levy?

    What is it? The Building Safety Levy (England) Regulations 2025 (the “Regulations“), coming into force on 1 October 2026, introduce the Building Safety Levy, which as the name suggests is a tax, specifically on certain new residential buildings. The aim

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    • Article
    • Apr 1, 2026

    Retentions: going, going… gone?

    Government had initially consulted on two options in relation to retention reform as part of its wider aims to improve late payment practices generally. Option A – to prohibit retention clauses and Option B – to allow the continued use

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    • Article
    • Jan 21, 2026

    Building Safety: what to expect in 2026

    1. Gateway 2 progress Early indications are that the operational changes to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) made in the latter half of 2025 are showing signs of cutting through the well-publicised Gateway 2 delays. Statistics released by the BSR

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    • Building Safety Act
    • Jan 12, 2026

    Building Safety Act enforcement – six cases that have redefined liability and risk

    Corporate structures offer no safe harbour. Recent rulings confirm that associated companies, parent entities and even later acquirers can be held jointly and severally liable for remediation costs – sometimes decades after construction. Judges scrutinise ownership links, financial interdependence and

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    • Building Safety Act
    • Jan 6, 2026

    Staged HRB building control approvals – updated guidance

    A staged G2 application can now be made for new Higher Risk Building (HRB) developments — those over seven storeys or 18 metres — where works will be delivered in stages/phases. Each stage is assessed and approved separately by the

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