A North West-based PRS developer has taken action to adhere to expected rulings under the Draft Building Safety Bill way ahead of the expected compliance schedule.

Following the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017, where 72 people lost their lives, The Government has brought forward a Bill that will improve building and fire safety so that people will be safer in their homes.

Beech Holdings and subsidiary company Manchester Apartments – Beech’s residential lettings and property management arm – has already appointed a building safety manager, a position that the Draft Building Safety Bill is expected to enforce by 2023. The Bill is anticipated to be passed in the coming months, but Beech Holdings sees this appointment as fundamental to instilling trust in tenants and to demonstrate its level of commitment to the highest safety standards for every development it has completed and will deliver to market.

On the appointment of Phil Rawlinson, Manchester Apartments director Jonathan Griffiths said: “Phil is joining our team to constantly assess our standards and strive to make us a better developer. The horror at Grenfell Tower reminds people that the choices that are made in construction, before a single brick has ever been laid, are fundamental to the safety of the people that will eventually live in the properties we build. I am proud of the quality of our developments and the level of safety we adhere to, but as a business, we will never be arrogant to think that change and improvements are not part of our ongoing commitment to the communities we construct.”

Building Safety Manager, Phil Rawlinson, commented, “Over my career, I’ve had to consistently improve my knowledge and training in construction health and safety – it’s an ever-changing landscape and I welcome this Bill and everything within it. Beech Holdings and Manchester Apartments, which has the responsibility for 1000s of Manchester residents, really resonated with me because of the business’ forward-thinking mindset and positive attitude towards health and safety – which is quite rare to see. The progression, ambition and growth of the company was not an opportunity to be turned down.”

Phil Rawlinson has worked within the property services sector for just under 10 years but his qualifications and experience specifically around health and safety are excessive. Phil will be based out of the Manchester office but will be tasked with assessing all Beech Holdings’ portfolio and maintaining the highest standards. He’ll be fully involved, once completed, with the recent new purchase of a landmark 18-storey building in Newcastle which will be home to 250 residents.

The Draft Bill is the result of a thorough review into the Grenfell Tower fire and it concluded that the whole system needed major reform and that residents’ safety needed to be a greater priority through the entire life cycle of a building – from design and construction, through to when people are living in their homes. It will see the biggest improvements to building safety in nearly 40 years.

Beech Holdings is optimistic that this new Bill will change the outlook for many residents up and down the country, and will play its part in highlighting the value in best practice and striving to always do better.