The government have announced an independent review of building
regulations and fire safety following the Grenfell Tower
fire.
The review will be led by Dame Judith Hackitt, Chair of EEF, the
Manufacturers' Organisation, and will look at current building
regulations and fire safety with a particular focus on high rise
residential buildings. It will report jointly to the Communities
Secretary Sajid Javid and the Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
The review will examine:
- the regulatory system around the design, construction and
on-going management of buildings in relation to fire safety
- related compliance and enforcement issues
- international regulation and experience in this area
Terms of reference for the review will be published in summer
2017, once the terms of reference for the Grenfell Tower Public
Inquiry have been agreed.
It is expected that the review will present an interim report
before the end of the year, and a final report no later than spring
2018.
John Bibby, ARCH CEO comments:
"The latest in the series of fire
safety tests by the Building Research Establishment show that the
buildings that have so far failed these tests are owned by a range
of different owners across the country and not just local
authorities. This would seem to point to a systemic failure of the
system of building regulation and the government's announcement of
a review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety is to be welcomed
but it must report as soon as possible".