UK developer Urban Splash and four firms ordered to pay £46.5m for fire-safety repairs in Manchester

Manchester property developer Urban Splash and four companies linked to it have been ordered to pay £46.5 million towards essential fire safety repairs at seven residential developments across the city. The ruling was made by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) after a legal case brought by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The government had originally sought to recover more than £60 million spent or set aside to replace dangerous cladding and fix internal building defects across the sites. The tribunal agreed that more than £60.6 million worth of work was reasonably needed. However, the panel reduced the final amount to reflect wider failures by the government and regulators, which were highlighted by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. The decision is one of the largest amounts the government has recovered under powers introduced by the Building Safety Act 2022.The order means Urban Splash Limited, Urban Splash Developments Limited, Urban Splash Group Holdings Limited, Urban Splash Work Limited and Stubbs Mill LLP must share responsibility for the payment. Most of the money will go towards repaying the government's Building Safety Fund. A furth...