Fire safety post Grenfell — Government publishes guidance on the Building Regulations 2010

We have written previously on the issues surrounding cladding and fire safety in relation to blocks of flats.

The Government launched its “Building a Safer Future” policy in December 2018 which aimed at implementing the recommendations of the independent review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety undertaken by Dame Judith Hackitt.

The Hackitt review made several recommendations in its final report in order to improve safety for the occupants of blocks of flats, notably suggesting a new regulatory framework for the building at construction and management of blocks as well as the materials that should be used for such development and management.

As part of the implementation of the review’s recommendations, and specifically in response to the Grenfell Tower disaster, the Government has published a new, clarified and amended Building Regulations Approved Document B (Fire Safety Volume 1: Dwellings) which comes into force on 30 August 2019. This provides detailed clarification on how the current regulations can be met, and also advice in relation to the regulations concerning combustible cladding.

Further advice is expected when the Government addresses more detailed changes on the technical aspects of fire safety regulation following its Consultation on building safety regulation.

A link to Approved Document B can be found here.

If you have any questions regarding this topic, please contact Joanna Osborne, or any other member of the Property Litigation team.

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