Recommendation P2-5: Review statutory guidance and Approved Document B
From Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report, published 4 September 2024.
Recommendation
We therefore recommend that the statutory guidance generally, and Approved Document B in particular, be reviewed accordingly and a revised version published as soon as possible. (113.11)
In brief (written by this site)
In September 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reported that the Building Safety Regulator had closed its consultation on changes to Approved Document B and was analysing more than 500 responses (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sep 2026). The department added in September 2026 that an interim report on the Fundamental Review of Building Regulations guidance was expected between July and September 2026 (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sep 2026). In its September 2026 timeline, the department projected that recommendations to update Approved Document B would be published in the second quarter of 2027, followed by the completion of the guidance review in the fourth quarter of 2027 (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sep 2026).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
The government accepts this recommendation. The Building Safety Regulator is undertaking a review of how statutory guidance, currently offered in the form of Approved Documents, might best be structured, updated and presented in order to provide accurate, up to date and coherent guidance to support designers in demonstrating compliance with the building regulations. Interim findings will be published by summer 2025 and a full list of recommendations will be published in 2026. The guidance in Approved Document B has been updated several times since 2017 to make it clearer and to improve fire safety standards. The government has committed to keep Approved Document B under continuous review, and the Building Safety Regulator will consult on further changes in autumn 2025.
How this response relates to the recommendation
Site note: This is the government's response to the Phase 2 report (CP 1248, published 26 February 2025). It prints each recommendation and then the response to it. Where the recommendation is addressed to a body outside government, the response prints that body's own acceptance (the Architects Registration Board and RIBA, HMICFRS, London Fire Brigade, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the British Standards Institution, the National Police Chiefs' Council), and the row is filed under that body.
Delivery
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says in progress (10 September 2026)
Timeline for delivery
2026
- Launch consultation on changes to Approved Document B. – Complete
2027
- Analyse consultation responses and begin drafting recommendations. – (Q1, Jan to Mar)
- Publish recommendations to update Approved Document B. – (Q2, Apr to Jun)
- Complete Fundamental Review of Building Regulations guidance and set out next steps for implementation. – (Q4, Oct to Dec)
Site note: This is the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's progress report of September 2026 on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations. Where the passage describes work by another body, such as the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade, fire and rescue services, the British Standards Institution or the Cabinet Office, it is the Ministry's account of that body's progress, and the row is filed under the Ministry.
Earlier statements on delivery (2)
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (10 September 2026)
The Building Safety Regulator’s consultation on changes to Approved Document B closed on 1 July 2026. More than 500 responses were received, more than double the number received to the consultation on second staircases. The Building Safety Regulator is now analysing the responses, which will inform recommendations for future changes to Approved Document B. Given the volume and technical nature of the responses received, recommendations are expected by March 2027.
Work also continues on the Fundamental Review of Building Regulations guidance, which is considering how approved documents and other statutory guidance can be improved. An interim report is expected to be published in Q3 (July to September) 2026.
The Building Advisory Committee is now established and operational, chaired by Barbara Lane and supported by Deputy Chair Hywel Davies. The Building Advisory Committee Fire Safety Working Group is also established and actively supporting the review of Approved Document B, bringing together expertise from academia and industry.
Site note: This is the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's progress report of September 2026 on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations. Where the passage describes work by another body, such as the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade, fire and rescue services, the British Standards Institution or the Cabinet Office, it is the Ministry's account of that body's progress, and the row is filed under the Ministry.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (25 February 2026)
Since the government published its response to the Grenfell recommendations in February 2025, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has been taking forward the Fundamental Review of Building Regulations guidance. In July 2025, BSR established a six-member expert panel, bringing together academic, industry and technical expertise to oversee and challenge the development of proposals. Engagement with stakeholders has been sustained and supplements commissioned research. An interim report is expected in spring 2026. This work has focused on improving the structure and usability of statutory guidance, while ensuring relevant recommendations from Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (recommendations 5 to 12) are addressed in a coherent and proportionate way.
Site note: This is the annex of the government's Phase 2 annual report (CP 1512, published 25 February 2026) as GOV.UK publishes it, one page per theme: the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's account. Where the passage describes work by another body, such as the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade, the British Standards Institution, the Health and Safety Executive or the Cabinet Office, it is the report's account of that body's progress, and the row is filed under the Ministry. The status is what the passage says: completed only where it says the recommendation is complete or closed.
Site note: The source gives this passage once, for recommendations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 together. The same words are recorded on P2-5, P2-6, P2-7, P2-8, P2-9, P2-11 and P2-12.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Delivery statement