Technical review of Approved Document B

The Federation has submitted views to the Government’s call to evidence on a review of Approved Document B, which provides guidance on meeting the fire safety requirements of building regulations.

In December, the Government published Building a Safer Future – its plan for implementing the recommendations Dame Judith Hackitt made in her Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. In its publication, the Government committed to a technical review of Approved Document B – the guidance on meeting fire safety requirements of the building regulations.

The review of Approved Document B comes as a result of Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommendation that regulations and guidance be clearer and simpler to navigate. This and other recommendations are intended to deliver a regulatory system that is fit for purpose.

In our submission, we:

• Set out our support for a review of the guidance and our sector’s commitment to ensuring residents’ safety.
• Highlight the considerations that the Government will need to make to achieve this, and offer to work with them so that any changes to guidance consider the people living in the sector’s homes.
• Highlight the potential for unintended consequences on the affordability and availability of new housing, so that measures to mitigate this potential are considered at the outset.

The Government anticipates consulting further in the coming months on further ways to implement Dame Judith’s recommendations.

Download out response