This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
THE Victorian government has made the extraordinary move to ban combustible cladding being used on buildings across the state, following the fires at London’s Grenfell Tower and Melbourne’s Lacrosse apartment complex.
Minister for Planning Richard Wynne announced the new ministerial guidelines which was a key recommendation by the Victorian Cladding Taskforce, chaired by former Premier Ted Baillieu and Deputy Premier John Thwaites.
The ban could affect how property valuers assessed the market value of properties in Victoria. Last year, Hall & Wilcox partner Matthew Curll said at the Australian Property Institute conference, that when valuing a new property or valuing a refinance where cladding is apparent, valuers will need to assess market value having regard to cladding and predicting the future impact of cladding in the event of a resale particularly a forced resale.
Wynne said Aluminium Cladding Panels with a polyethylene core of more than 30% will be banned on all multi-storey buildings, along with expanded polystyrene.
The Minister has directed the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) to issue a product safety alert, and building practitioners who ignore this directive will face disciplinary action from the VBA.
“The new ministerial guidelines spell out precisely what can’t be used on Victorian building sites for suppliers and practitioners in the building chain, spelling an end to the use of dangerous, flammable materials.
“We’re putting a stop to dangerous combustible cladding being used on Victorian buildings. This has been allowed to go on for too long and we’re ending it. The rules are clear: if builders use these dangerous flammable products, they’ll face disciplinary action from the VBA,” Wynne said.
The ban follows findings last year by the Victorian Cladding Taskforce, which identified 1,369 buildings as most likely having Aluminium Cladding Panels with a polyethylene core or Expanded Polystyrene.
Of those buildings, it is since been established that 579 have not begun construction, and a further 129 are half built.
If buildings are found to be non-compliant, the VBA and Municipal Building Surveyors are issuing emergency orders, ensuring additional measures are put in place to meet the highest standards of safety.
Building practitioners are now on notice, with the government directing the VBA to inspect more of Victoria’s buildings each year, from less than 2% annually to 10%.
States and territories have handled the issue of combustible differently.
In New South Wales, owners will be compelled to register their building information with the government, detailing what cladding material is due.
Australian Property Journal
