Legislation and regulation

Following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017, the government committed to overhauling the building safety regulatory system to make new and existing buildings safer and minimise the risk of fire in high-rise buildings.

The government commissioned Dame Judith Hackitt to lead an Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety in July 2017. The review published its final report in May 2018, setting out more than 50 recommendations for the government on how to deliver a more robust regulatory system for the future.

The government used these recommendations to develop its proposals for the Building a Safer Future consultation, which was followed by the long-awaited Building Safety Bill, published in July 2021.

As part of the changes set out in the Building Safety Bill, a new Building Safety Regulator has been created within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) with extensive new powers of regulation, inspection and enforcement.

In addition, in April 2021 the Fire Safety Bill received Royal Assent and is now an official act of Parliament, impacting all buildings containing more than one residential unit. It is not limited to buildings 18m and over in height, defined as 'higher-risk buildings' in the Building Safety Bill.

Find out more about:

• The Fire Safety Act
• The Building Safety Bill
• The Building Safety Regulator 
• Approved Document B
• BIM for housing associations