New scheme to require NSW building owners to register buildings with cladding

In response to the growing controversy surrounding the use of non-compliant cladding materials following the Lacrosse and Grenfell Tower fires in Melbourne and London, the NSW Government has released draft regulations for public comment as part of its ten-point plan for fire safety.¹

The draft regulations introduce a new scheme to collect information on the prevalence of combustible cladding in certain high-risk buildings, and will require owners of multi-storey residential and commercial buildings with combustible cladding to register their buildings and pay for expert independent fire-risk assessment. Also released was a proposal to tighten the exempt development framework (as it applies to combustible cladding) by amending various State Environmental Planning Policies (SEPPs).