The Government has announced new fire safety guidance for England, designed to ensure tall buildings are made safer and said to meet recommendations from Phase One of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
The new guidance covers several important developments, including:
The changes are said to form part of a wider update to tighten building regulations and provide clearer fire safety rules for the design or construction residential developments.
Building and Fire Safety Minister Lord Greenhalgh said:
“We have introduced the biggest improvements to building safety in a generation, under the Building Safety Act.
“These changes will support our tough new regulatory regime – ensuring fire safety measures are incorporated into new high-rise homes and all new residential buildings meet the same safety standards.
“It does not end here and I urge the industry act quickly to update their practises in line with these new rules.”
The National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) Protection and Business Safety Committee Chair, Gavin Tomlinson, said:
“NFCC especially welcomes the introduction of emergency evacuation alert systems in new buildings over 18m. We also support the inclusion of Secure Information Boxes in buildings over 11m, which will give fire and rescue services access to important details about a building and its residents in the event of a fire.
“On the changes to building regulations, we are encouraged that unsafe MCM PE cladding panels are banned on all buildings and that the government has promised stronger safety standards for the use of combustible materials on external walls.”
Further regulatory updates, introduced today, will now see this ban extend to new hotels, hostels and boarding houses of this height.
The ban on MCM PE follows research carried out by the government and evidence heard at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry on the serious fire safety risks associated with this material.
New statutory guidance will also be introduced to restrict the combustibility of materials used in and on the external walls of residential buildings, between 11-18m in height. This will mean that lower risk developments between 11-18m meet necessary safety standards – while allowing designers and developers flexibility to use environmentally friendly materials. It builds on a provision, that the government has already introduced, for sprinkler systems to be installed in new blocks of flats 11m and over, in England.
Other updates to the regulations being put forward will:
The Government adds this these changes add to the ongoing work to ensure homebuilders have clear and comprehensive regulatory framework for the design and development of safe buildings. As part of this, the Government has today published an update on its technical review of guidance on building regulations for fire safety – known as Approved Document B – and the evidence supporting it.
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