The Welsh Housing Minister, Julie James, has announced that the use of combustible cladding on the external walls of high-rise buildings in Wales will be banned from 13 January 2020.

The statement reads:

The ban will apply to combustible cladding on all new residential buildings (flats, student accommodation and care homes) and hospitals over 18m in height. The ban covers the entire height of the building, and will apply to the complete wall assembly and certain attachments to the external wall, including balconies and solar panels.   

The ban will also apply to existing buildings where relevant building work is being carried out which falls within the scope of the Building Regulations, unless the building works have started on-site or an initial notice, building notice or full plans have been deposited and work has started on site within a period of 8 weeks. 

To view the announcement click here.

In both cases, affected Certificate(s) will be updated as soon as possible but for now users of a BBA Certificate should read it in conjunction with this statement and the contents of the Scottish Technical Handbooks / Approved Documents (Wales) which take precedence over the existing wording of the Certificate.