Good news for the residents of the Lacrosse building in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct.

In a press release from the VBA, the organisation said that “following efforts on the part of the VBA and City of Melbourne, the VBA is pleased to see LU Simon’s announcement that it will replace the cladding on the Lacrosse building by mid-2018.”

The 21 storey building which suffered a devastating fire as the result of combustible cladding in 2014. has been the subject of an ongoing case with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) by residents for compensation.

In a company statement released this week, “LU Simon builders has taken the initiative to replace the cladding at the Lacrosse building as a gesture of good faith, so that the owners and residents are not inconvenienced any further by the lengthy legal process at VCAT that will decide how the costs are to be divided up between the various parties”.

In the Australian Financial Review, the City of Melbourne municipal building surveyor Steven Baxas said that, “we are yet to see the details of the proposed new materials but the replacement materials must meet all necessary building and safety standards and be to my satisfaction as the City of Melbourne’s Municipal Building Surveyor”.

The VBA encourages LU Simon to make similar undertakings with respect to bringing into compliance the six other buildings identified as part of the VBA audit.