Building Assessment Certificates (BACs) have been issued for two high-rise residential buildings in Salford following extensive fire and structural safety remediation works carried out in response to post-Grenfell building safety requirements.
The two apartment blocks, Spruce Court and Thorn Court, form part of a wider high-rise housing scheme managed by social landlord Pendleton Together Operating Ltd (PTOL), part of the Together Housing Group.
Fire and structural remediation across nine residential blocks
Safety works were commissioned across nine residential buildings within the scheme and included the replacement of cladding and insulation, improvements to fire compartmentation, and the installation of new fire alarms and sprinkler systems.
The programme was initiated to address building safety risks and ensure compliance with evolving legislation governing fire spread and structural safety in high-rise residential buildings.
Principal designer role under updated building safety legislation
Pick Everard was appointed as principal designer under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations to support the delivery of the safety upgrade programme and to help ensure compliance with current building safety legislation.
As part of its role, the project team carried out detailed structural surveys and supported the preparation and submission of the Building Safety Case.
This process led to BACs being issued for Spruce Court and Thorn Court, confirming that both buildings now meet the required legal duties relating to fire spread and structural integrity.
Work is continuing on the remaining blocks within the scheme. While the programme experienced early delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all buildings are currently scheduled for completion in spring 2026.
Navigating the transition to the Building Safety Act 2022
Simon Senior, Project Director at Pick Everard, said the project was delivered during a period of regulatory transition following the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022.
“The project sits within the transition period for adopting the Building Safety Act 2022, with our team working to ensure services aligned to the requirements of the developing legislation and associated regulatory requirements.”
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Stakeholder collaboration and resident reassurance
Senior said collaboration across a wide group of stakeholders was critical to managing the complexity and sensitivity of the project.
“Collaboration remained a key element of this project and involved liaising with a complex network of stakeholders, including PTOL, the construction management team, contractors, neighbourhood management team, Salford City Council and Together Housing.
“Fire safety is, understandably, a matter of significant sensitivity, and the development and maintenance of strong stakeholder relationships was critical to providing reassurance to everybody involved in the scheme and the residents.”
Building Safety Regulator remediation workload
The scheme comes as new data from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) shows it is currently considering 283 remediation cases across England.
The BSR report states: “Having focused on addressing the new build backlog initially, BSR is now developing a focused plan to extend the lessons learned to remediation cases.”
Ongoing safety upgrades and governance approach
Pick Everard provided a range of services on the scheme, including building surveying, building and construction safety, architecture, structural and building engineering, project management, mechanical and electrical engineering, and quantity surveying.
Senior said the issuing of the BACs marked a significant milestone for the project.
“Achieving certification reflects the project’s disciplined governance and resident-focused outcomes, providing a strong benchmark for future schemes.
“To address the highly sensitive nature of the project we refined our building and construction safety consultant team’s usual communications process to create a proactive, tailored engagement strategy.
“Applying learning from past projects, we ran regular risk workshops with representatives of each design discipline and the wider design teams (sub-contractors, package contractors) with design responsibility.
“All parties shared their health and safety learning, reinforcing our joint commitment to safety – which was so important to residents.”
The completion of safety works across the remaining blocks is expected in spring 2026, as remediation programmes continue across the sector to meet the requirements of the Building Safety Act and the oversight of the Building Safety Regulator.
