Headline findings on external wall cladding and Scottish hotels
The Scottish Government published a report on whether to extend the ban on combustible external wall cladding systems to hotels, boarding houses and hostels with a habitable storey at 11 metres or more in Scotland.
The report said the two-phase study analysed Incident Recording System data from 1 April 2009 to 29 February 2024, reviewed Scottish Fire and Rescue Service fire investigation and post fire audit reports, and examined Regulatory Impact Assessments from England and Wales.
The study found no evidence that cladding contributed to the reviewed fatalities or injuries in the hotel and hostel incidents examined.
The report advised that benefits from any extension of the ban could not be monetised due to limited risk data.
The research estimated that two to three Scottish buildings could be affected each year, with an annual compliance cost of about £0.3 to £0.4 million.
Incident data and report reviews
The report said 2,395 fire incidents were recorded in the selected hotel, boarding house and hostel categories between 1 April 2009 and 29 February 2024.
It stated that there were six fatalities, six serious injuries and 49 slight injuries in those incidents.
It said Scottish Fire and Rescue Service provided two redacted fire investigation reports and details of a third incident that was linked to an ongoing prosecution, together covering the six fatalities.
It reported that none of the fatal incidents involved cladding, and smoke and fire effects were confined to rooms or internal compartments.
It added that five post fire audit reports were reviewed for injury cases, with no cladding involvement identified.
Comparison with England and Wales policy assessments
The report explained that England widened its combustible materials ban in December 2022 to include hotels, hostels and boarding houses over 18 metres.
It said the English changes were supported by a Regulatory Impact Assessment which calculated an equivalent annual net cost of £35.3 million across all measures.
It stated that £4.3 million was the central cost estimate for including hotels, hostels and boarding houses.
It reported that Wales consulted on related proposals and published a summary of responses in January 2025 with cost projections for 18 metre buildings.
It noted that both the English and Welsh assessments did not monetise fire safety risk reductions due to limited available evidence.
Cost and benefits analysis constraints for Scotland
The report stated that the Scottish incident reviews did not identify fatalities or injuries linked to cladding.
It said that, as in England and Wales, risk reduction benefits could not be quantified or monetised for a Scottish extension.
It reported that population multipliers and comparable unit costs suggest two to three affected buildings per year.
It added that the indicative annual compliance cost would be about £0.3 to £0.4 million.
Scope and thresholds under review
The report said Scotland’s 1 June 2022 regulations already ban combustible external wall cladding systems on “relevant buildings” with a storey at least 11 metres above ground level.
It explained that the 2022 definition excluded hotels, boarding houses and hostels.
It stated that the current study considered whether those uses should be added for buildings with a habitable storey at 11 metres or more.
It noted that the threshold in Scotland differs from England, where the trigger remains at 18 metres.
Evidence limits and incident patterns
The report said the three fatal hotel incidents reviewed described ignition sources and spread patterns within internal rooms and corridors.
It noted that the injury cases reviewed in hostels and hotels were associated with room-of-origin events, with compartmentation generally effective.
It stated that the absence of cladding involvement in these incidents limited the basis for modelling quantifiable benefits.
It advised that without stronger risk data, the benefits of extending the ban cannot be valued.
Conclusion and next steps
The report said that while extending the cladding ban to include hotels, hostels and boarding houses would align Scotland with England and Wales, quantifiable benefits remain unproven.
It stated that further progress would require either improved risk data or a policy decision to proceed without monetised benefits.
It said a broad cost projection framework is available if ministers wish to take the extension forward.
It noted that current evidence shows cladding did not play a role in the incidents reviewed.
Relevance for fire and safety professionals
The report consolidates incident data, fire investigation findings and comparative policy reviews relevant to fire and building safety in Scottish hotels, boarding houses and hostels.
It provides clarity on the scope of current Scottish rules, the thresholds that apply, and the evidence base used to inform any extension.
Designers and contractors may use the cost frameworks cited in England and Wales as reference points when planning cladding specifications in similar Scottish buildings.
Fire safety professionals can apply the incident findings to support compartmentation, inspection and audit practices while monitoring future Scottish regulatory decisions.
External wall cladding in Scotland: report on hotels, boarding houses and hostels: Summary
The Scottish Government published a two-phase report on combustible external wall cladding and Scottish hotels, boarding houses and hostels.
The report said the scope covers buildings with a habitable storey at 11 metres or more.
The study found 2,395 incidents in the selected categories between 1 April 2009 and 29 February 2024.
The report recorded six fatalities, six serious injuries and 49 slight injuries in that period.
It said the reviewed fire investigation and post fire audit reports did not identify cladding involvement.
It stated that benefits of extending the ban could not be monetised due to limited risk data.
It reported England’s 2022 changes for 18 metre buildings and associated cost estimates.
It said Wales consulted on similar measures and published responses in January 2025.
The research estimated two to three affected Scottish buildings each year.
It said annual compliance costs would be about £0.3 to £0.4 million.