All building regulations articles
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In FocusInvestigation: how are councils assessing the risks of uPVC cladding in low-rise housing after the Barnet fire?
When a fire in 2023 destroyed four terraced houses Barnet Council brought the housing sector’s attention to an overlooked fire safety issue: the use of uPVC cladding in low-rise homes. Have other councils heeded its warning?
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NewsGove sets out 30-month grace period for second staircase rule
Housing secretary lays out long-awaited transitional arrangements but gives no detail on how guidance will work
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NewsAbbey finally signs Gove’s developer remediation contract
Failure to sign contract committing it to fire safety repairs would have put it at risk of sanctions under Responsible Actors Scheme
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NewsThe Housing Forum calls for talks with Gove over second staircase ‘hiatus’
Body says decision to reduce height of second staircase mandate to 18m risks “significantly reducing” housing supply
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NewsScheme to ban fire safety laggard developers comes into force
Gove brings regulations for ‘Responsible Actors Scheme’ into effect ahead of summer launch
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NewsBarratt and Persimmon to sign cladding contract after government backs down on terms
Recent negotiations have seen Michael Gove agree to tighten scope of contract around JVs and limit betterment liability
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NewsGove to mandate second staircase in new blocks above 30m
Government estimates fire safety measure will cost business £1.6bn over a decade
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NewsHousebuilder fined £116k for health and safety failings
Blackburn-based Mullberry Homes admits multiple infringements, HSE says
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NewsGovernment criticised for confusion over advice on stairwells in high rises
Riba says new circular provides no certainty over which flat blocks will need more than one staircase
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NewsGovernment issues warning over high-rise homes with single staircases
Letter from communities department says designers need to use fire engineer assessments to prove very tall buildings are safe
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NewsGovernment admits deregulation drive stopped officials raising fire safety warnings prior to Grenfell
But housing department lawyer tells Grenfell Inquiry that “competent” industry professionals would not have signed off flammable cladding systems
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In FocusGlitches in the system: getting ready for part L
Emily Twinch looks at the preparedness of the house building industry to comply with the changes to regulations next week to ensure homes are more energy efficient
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NewsFears grow over June Part L uplift as SAP software ‘not ready’
HBF writes to government calling for an immediate update to software used to calculate energy efficiency in new homes
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NewsFire safety review not delayed by deregulation drive, Eric Pickles tells Grenfell inquiry
Former housing secretary calls claims made by officials they were hampered by red tape cuts “ludicrous”
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NewsFormer minister says government had ‘completely false’ idea of fire safety before Grenfell
Gavin Barwell says there was a “clear presumption” that review of building regulations was not life critical
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NewsFormer minister denies deregulation was prioritised over life safety before Grenfell
James Wharton tells inquiry he thought regulations had been “fit for purpose and working well”
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NewsLakanal House fire ‘not severe’ enough to prompt cladding investigation, Grenfell inquiry hears
Brian Martin also admits being ‘horrified’ by senior building control officer’s misunderstanding of fire safety guidance
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NewsOfficial knew there was ‘clear risk’ of major ACM fire three years before Grenfell, inquiry hears
Brian Martin failed to warn fire and rescue chief and instead ‘lulled’ him into false sense of security
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NewsGrenfell inquiry: Senior civil servant admits underestimating ACM cladding danger
Brian Martin “forgot” to clarify that ACM cladding was not permitted.
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NewsOfficial admits to Grenfell Inquiry that ambiguous building regs guidance ‘didn’t work’
Former civil servant in charge of the rules says industry had been expected to work out what fire safety guidance meant