P2-11 Response Accepted

Develop new test methods for evacuation strategy assessments

Recommendation

Assessing whether an external wall system can support a particular evacuation strategy is difficult because the necessary information is not always available. We therefore recommend that steps be taken in conjunction with the professional and academic community to develop new test methods that will provide the information needed for such assessments to be carried out reliably. (113.17)

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
Professional and academic collaboration is continuing on the development of new external wall testing methods to support evacuation strategy assessments. A gov.uk progress update from February 2026 stated that this work is part of a broader statutory guidance review examining the structure of Approved Documents. The government accepted this recommendation in February 2025, committing to work with the professional and academic community through the Approved Document B review.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 24 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
Jurisdiction
England
Response
Accepted
Accepted UK Government
26 Feb 2025

The government accepts this recommendation. We will work with the professional and academic community to address this recommendation through the ongoing Approved Document B review led by the Building Safety Regulator which will consider any necessary changes to the guidance for external walls. Research in this area will inform any future evolution of changes to or introduction of new testing methods. The government will look to the construction sector to demonstrate that the test methods used are effective and give a genuine indication of the likely behaviour of an external wall system in the event of a fire.

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Progress Timeline
Official Report
01 Feb 2026

Professional and academic collaboration continues on external wall testing methods development. Part of statutory guidance review underway examining Approved Documents structure. (Covers Recommendations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12.)

Source
Report Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report 04 Sep 2024
Responsible Bodies
UK Government Primary
Recommendation age 1.6 yrs
Last formal update 01 Feb 2026