Taylor Wimpey sues Vinci over major Cardiff cladding job

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey is suing Vinci Construction for more than £30m over alleged cladding and steelwork defects carried out by the contractor’s subsidiary Taylor Woodrow at a development in Cardiff.

The case concerns the development of seven residential towers at Victoria Wharf in Cardiff Bay.

Taylor Wimpey appointed Taylor Woodrow – now Vinci Construction’s subsidiary – as the main contractor on the project in January 2005.

In papers lodged with the High Court, it alleges that construction work carried out by Taylor Woodrow at the 450-apartment site contains “serious” fire safety defects that pose a danger to occupants and are “not fit” for habitation.

In 2022, under the Welsh Government’s Developers Pact initiative, Taylor Wimpey agreed to remediate all seven residential towers, five of which are more than 18 metres in height, the court documents say.

The works, which started in July 2025 and are expected to be completed by May 2028, will include installing cavity barriers and replacing non-compliant external wall systems.

The housebuilder estimates that the remedial scheme will cost it £32.5m, including 7.5 per cent design contingency, but said that the final total could change as work progresses.

It is seeking to recoup the costs of remedial works, along with the costs of its investigations.

In the documents, Taylor Wimpey alleges Taylor Woodrow “did not carry out the work [at Victoria Wharf] in a workmanlike or professional manner”, breaching its duties under the Defective Premises Act 1972.

Victoria Wharf was built with two different types of render facade systems as well as a timber cladding system and a weatherboard system, all of which did not meet the Building Regulations of 2002, Taylor Wimpey alleges.

In the claim, Taylor Wimpey also says it has identified “poor or missing” cavity barriers on all four envelope types and found that Kingspan Thermawall TW55 PIR insulation, which was used in the ventilated cavity, “is not a material of limited combustibility”.

Taylor Wimpey also alleges that structural steelwork in multiple parts of the external walls had not been coated with fire-resistant coatings or protected against fire.

When the build commenced Taylor Woodrow and Taylor Wimpey were part of the same group.

However, in September 2008, just two months after the work was completed in July 2008, Taylor Wimpey sold Taylor Woodrow Construction to the Vinci Group.

Under the Building Safety Act 2022, liability for major building defects was extended from six to 30 years – allowing this case to be lodged.

Taylor Woodrow, Vinci Construction and Taylor Wimpey declined to comment on the case.

The case is the second brought by Taylor Wimpey concerning Victoria Wharf. Previously it launched legal proceedings for £50m against Holder Mathias Architects in February.