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Ronan Point Inquiry

Completed
Chair Hugh Griffiths QC Judge / Judiciary
Established 17 May 1968
Final Report 06 Nov 1968
Commissioned by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Originally commissioned by Minister of Housing (1968)

Inquiry into the partial collapse of Ronan Point tower block in Canning Town on 16 May 1968 following a gas explosion which killed four people.

Historical inquiry (pre-Inquiries Act 2005). Listed for reference — recommendation progress is not actively tracked.
Legacy & Impact
The Ronan Point inquiry examined the partial collapse of a 22-storey tower block in Canning Town on 16 May 1968, following a gas explosion that killed four people. Chair Hugh Griffiths QC concluded that both the design and construction of the large panel system building were inadequate. The inquiry's 19 recommendations focused on preventing progressive collapse in high-rise buildings and managing explosion risks.

The inquiry's most significant documented legacy is the Building Regulations 1970 (5th Amendment), which introduced the concept of resistance to disproportionate collapse. This principle remains embedded in Part A of the current Building Regulations. The inquiry also led to the disconnection of piped gas from high-rise residential buildings and requirements for structural engineering assessments of buildings over six storeys.

The disaster effectively ended large panel system construction in the UK. However, when Ronan Point was demolished in 1986, investigators found structural joints packed with rubbish and that post-collapse strengthening works had been ineffective. This discovery raised questions about the implementation and enforcement of safety measures.

The Ronan Point inquiry occupies a significant place in the history of UK building safety regulation. Its focus on preventing disproportionate collapse established principles that continue to shape building standards. The 2017 Grenfell Tower fire renewed attention to questions about building safety regulation and enforcement that the Ronan Point inquiry had raised nearly five decades earlier.
Lasting Reforms
• Building Regulations 1970 (5th Amendment) introduced requirements for resistance to disproportionate collapse, now incorporated in Part A of the Building Regulations
• Disconnection of piped gas supplies from high-rise residential buildings
• Requirement for structural engineering appraisal of buildings over six storeys
• Effective end of large panel system construction methods in the UK
Unfinished Business
• No published evidence of formal implementation reviews of the inquiry's recommendations
• Recommendation for review of regulations governing storage of potentially explosive materials in high blocks (RONA-22)
• Recommendation for improved ventilation in flats in high blocks (RONA-21)
• Broader application of structural safety requirements to non-residential buildings over 100 feet (RONA-35)
AI-generated narrative. Generated 26 Mar 2026 using claude-opus-4. Assessment is indicative, not authoritative.
Key Legislation
Building Regulations 1970 (5th Amendment — Disproportionate Collapse) PRIMARY
Introduced the concept of resistance to disproportionate collapse, now embedded in Part A of the Building Regulations.
Influence & Connections
Informed or shaped Grenfell Tower Inquiry
Ronan Point introduced the concept of resistance to disproportionate collapse in building regulations. The Grenfell Tower fire raised the same fundamental question about the gap between building regulation and safety in practice.
5 months Duration
Inquiry Report
This is a historical inquiry. Per-recommendation tracking is not available. See the Legacy & Impact section above.
Total Recommendations 18
Data verified: 27 Feb 2026 (Claude)
Title Volume Publication Date Tracked recs Links
Ronan Point Inquiry — Final Report - 06 Nov 1968 18
Clear

Recommendations (18)

RONA-12
Strengthen Ronan Point and make the joints continuous
Recommendation
Ronan Point should be strengthened, in particular by making the joints tougher and more continuous, so that local damage to the load-bearing walls from whatever cause will not lead to progressive collapse; and so that the building is capable of … Read more
Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-13
Disconnect the gas supply until Ronan Point is strengthened
Recommendation

Until the building has been strengthened the gas supply to it should be disconnected (paragraph 131).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-19
Disconnect gas from tall buildings liable to progressive collapse
Recommendation

Gas supplies should be disconnected from those existing tall buildings, the design of which renders them liable to progressive collapse, until they have been strengthened (paragraph 161).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-20
Statutory notification and inspection of gas appliance installations
Recommendation
In order to reduce the risk of town gas explosions still further, consideration should be given to a statutory requirement, based on the provisions of the London Gas Undertakings (Regulations) Act 1939, that the installation of any gas appliance should … Read more
Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-21
Improve ventilation in flats in high blocks
Recommendation

Consideration should be given to means of improving ventilation in flats in high blocks (paragraph 172).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-22
Review storage rules for explosive materials in high blocks
Recommendation

The Regulations governing the storage of other potentially explosive materials in high blocks of flats should be reviewed (paragraph 173).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-29
Structural appraisal of all blocks over six storeys
Recommendation
All blocks over six storeys in height should be appraised by a structural engineer who should consider: (a) whether they are susceptible to progressive collapse (paragraph 191); (b) whether they have been designed to resist adequately the maximum wind loadings … Read more
Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-30
Strengthen blocks judged susceptible and turn off the gas
Recommendation

In blocks that are judged to be susceptible to progressive collapse, measures must be taken to strengthen them to eliminate this risk, and the gas supply should be turned off until this has been done (paragraph 191).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-31
Strengthen blocks weak against wind loads or fire
Recommendation

Blocks which have not been designed to deal adequately with wind loads, or where progressive collapse may too readily be precipitated by fire, should be strengthened (paragraphs 214 and 216).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-32
New blocks to be designed against progressive collapse
Recommendation
Designers of new blocks must design the building so that it is not susceptible to progressive collapse, paying particular attention to introducing continuity at the joints and so disposing the load-bearing walls that alternative paths are provided in the event … Read more
Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-33
Use recent wind research pending the new loading Code
Recommendation
Until the new wind loading Code is produced, designers should have regard to the results of recent research into the frequency and duration of high wind speeds, when calculating the wind loadings for which the blocks are to be designed … Read more
Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-34
Allow for fire effects pending new Building Regulations
Recommendation

Until the new Building Regulations dealing with fire precautions are produced, designers should have regard to the possible effects of fire on the structural behaviour of the building as a whole (paragraph 216).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-36
Owners of tall non-system-built blocks to check wind loads
Recommendation
Owners of tall post-war blocks (say over 100 feet high) that are not system-built should inquire into the wind loads for which the blocks were designed and seek professional advice as to the adequacy of their buildings to withstand the … Read more
Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-43
Building Regulations to cover progressive collapse
Recommendation

The Building Regulations should include provisions dealing with progressive collapse (paragraph 208).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-44
Code of Practice for large concrete panel construction
Recommendation

A Code of Practice applicable specifically to large concrete panel construction should be prepared and published as a matter of urgency (paragraph 210).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-45
Bring Code of Practice 3 Chapter V Loading up to date
Recommendation

Code of Practice 3: Chapter V: Loading, must, as a matter of urgency, be brought up to date and should take account of recent research into the frequency and duration of high winds particularly on high buildings (paragraph 214).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-46
Fire Regulations to cover the effect of heat on the structure
Recommendation

The Fire Regulations should be revised to take account of the effect of heat arising from a domestic fire of normal intensity on the behaviour of the structure as a whole (paragraph 216).

Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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RONA-47
Minister to keep Standards and Codes of Practice up to date
Recommendation
The Minister of Housing and Local Government, who is responsible for the Building Regulations, must accept responsibility for seeing that the British Standards and Codes of Practice referred to in the Regulations are kept up to date, and that new … Read more
Published evidence summary
No formal government response has been recorded for this recommendation. No independent verification has been carried out.
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