Devolved government opens consultation on Scottish Building Safety Levy

The Scottish government is inviting views on proposals to introduce a Building Safety Levy on new residential development.

A ministerial foreword to the consultation documents said the nation already had “stringent safety regulations”, citing legislation on smoke alarms and the passage of the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024.

But it said the devolved government would not be “complacent” and would consider further action to address building safety.

“Work to address unsafe cladding comes at a substantial cost,” it said. 

“Many developers have engaged responsibly and positively with the Scottish government on remediating buildings they were responsible for constructing. 

“However, there are buildings where a developer no longer exists where significant costs may fall to the Scottish government.”

It noted the approach to the issue in England, where a levy is paid by developers in the residential property development sector.

In its latest programme for government, the devolved regime committed to seeking a transfer of powers to allow a similar policy in Scotland.

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“We have engaged constructively with successive UK Government’s on the transfer of powers, and I am pleased that this process is on course to complete in the coming month,” it said. 

While in England, the levy is collected by local authorities, the Scottish government’s proposal is to bring it in on a national basis, with Revenue Scotland acting as the tax collection body.

The consultation opened on Monday and will run for roughly two months until 18 November.