Housing developer London Square has reached a deal with the government after failing to sign its remediation contract on time.
The developer said while it was “pleased to have signed the contract” it was “very disappointed” it had ever been put on the list of “non-compliant” developers in the first place.
Eleven developers were placed on the non-compliance list after failing to sign the remediation contract by Monday’s deadline. While levelling up secretary Michael Gove has said he will allow developers extra time to sign, those that don’t will effectively be banned from building schemes.
In a statement that made no attempt to cloak the company’s anger, London Square said: “It is deeply disheartening that 30 minutes after the government announced the list of non-compliant developers, including London Square, who had not signed, their legal team conceded to London Square that the agreement needed to be modified, a point we had been making to them for some time.”
London Square said it had repeatedly told the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities that the contract was not appropriate for its business.
“Our lawyers had made it clear to the legal team for DLUHC that the standard agreement we had been sent was inappropriate and not relevant to London Square,” it said.
“We have never had any cladding or fire safety issues, yet remain totally committed to the pledge signed last year that leaseholders should not have to pay for any costs associated with fire safety remediation work and our agreement needed to reflect this.”
London Square added: “It is also very disappointing that the government’s handling of the matter has discredited our excellent track record for building high-quality homes and we have had to defend our reputation as a result.”
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