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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Samantha Dixon)
In my statement on 17 December 2025, I emphasised the Government’s commitment to addressing all 58 recommendations made by the Grenfell inquiry following the phase 2 report and noted that we have taken several significant steps already to build a more robust and trusted regulatory system and deliver safe, quality homes for everyone.
In February last year, the Government committed to put Approved Document B—the statutory fire safety guidance accompanying the building regulations—under continuous review. Today, the building safety regulator has launched a consultation on further proposed updates to Approved Document B. The consultation will seek views on: a provision for evacuation lifts in residential buildings above 18 metres in height; consideration of whether alarm coverage or sprinklers are provided in specialised housing; disapplication of Approved Document B for structures taller than 11 metres made from combustible material in structural elements; revision of guidance on fire spread across external walls and balconies; updated roof provisions including photovoltaic panel placement to support safe implementation of the future homes standard; fire resistance in car parks; and small technical clarifications and consideration of the Grenfell inquiry recommendation on BS9414 “Fire performance of external cladding systems”.
These proposals represent an important step in supporting inclusive design, safe evacuation strategies and robust fire safety standards across the built environment. The consultation has been published on the Citizen Space website, which is available at:
https://consultations.hse.gov.uk/bsr/review-of-approved-document-b-fire-safety
The consultation will remain open until Wednesday 17 June 2026.
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