The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has confirmed that it will review Approved Documents guidance.
The review will begin next year with three objectives: to make the guidance easier to understand and use; ensure that regular updates reflect new technology and industry practices; and make the Approved Documents more accessible, especially for SMEs.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner announced a review would be held during a 2 December debate in the House of Commons on the Grenfell Inquiry report.
Rayner said: “Statutory guidance on building regulations covering fire safety and building design is now subject to continuous review by the Building Safety Regulator, but I want to go further.
“I have asked the regulator to undertake that a fundamental review of the building safety regulations guidance will be produced, updated and communicated to the construction industry, because we must get this right.”
In an online statement, the BSR said the review will seek input from experts in architecture, building control, housebuilding, digital and technical issues. Feedback from homeowners and government departments will also be considered.
Early next year, the selection process for the review panel will begin and a chair will be appointed.
The BSR statement said: “The goal is to ensure that everyone who uses the guidance can rely on it to be clear, accurate and practical. The result will be safer, higher-quality buildings and greater confidence in the building safety system.
The Approved Documents provide detailed guidance for contractors, architects and other professionals involved in construction projects. The documents set out guidance to meet requirements in building regulations.
But the BSR has acknowledged “long-standing issues” with the Approved Documents and vowed to tackle these in its three-year strategic plan for 2023-26.
Its latest statement added that concerns had been raised that the current guidance is “overly complex and difficult to use”.
The BSR added that the review is a response to the Grenfell Inquiry phase two report, which said: “Many in the construction industry treated the Approved Documents as if they were prescriptive and many were confused about the difference between the regulations and the Approved Documents.”
The inquiry report said that Approved Document B, which relates to fire safety, “was unclear and not properly understood by a significant proportion of those working in the construction industry”.
It added: “We do not think that Approved Document B provides the information needed to design buildings that are safe in fire.”
