Fundamental Review of Building Regulations Guidance

1 Fundamental Review of Building Regulations Guidance
2 Other related Building Safety panels and committees
3 What are Approved Documents and why are they important?
4 Why is this review happening?
5 What will the review focus on and achieve?
6 Who is involved?
7 Comments from members and bodies
8 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] Fundamental Review of Building Regulations Guidance

Towards the end of 2024 the Deputy Prime Minister asked the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to undertake a fundamental review of how the building regulations guidance is produced, updated, and communicated to the construction industry. In her opening speech during the House of Commons debate on the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report on 2 December 2024, Angela Rayner formally announced the review of guidance to the building regulations known as the Approved Documents (ADs).

In April 2023, authority for updating and maintaining the Approved Documents was transferred to the BSR under the Building Safety Act 2022. This was in response to earlier recommendations coming from the Grenfell Inquiry and as part of government action in Making Buildings Safer. BSR planned to appoint the expert review panel, and develop the terms of reference for their work during 2025.

On 31 July 2025 the BSR and the UK government officially announced the six members of the review panel with a view to providing an interim update in early 2026 and a final report, with recommendations on how to deliver clearer, better structured Approved Documents in Summer 2026.

[edit] Other related Building Safety panels and committees

On 26 February 2025, also as part of the Government's response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, it announced the establishment of an independent panel to review Building Control, this was also something that the inquiry had recommended. The focus being to consider whether it would be preferential to remove potential commercial interests that had been implied by the inquiry away from building control and as such to move to a national authority decision model. I was announced 24 April, 2025 that the panel would be chaired by Dame Judith Hackitt, who would be joined by four other members; Elaine Bailey, Ken Rivers, Rt Hon Nick Raynsford and Dr David Snowball.

In a separate but related initiative on 18 June 2025, the Industry and Regulators Committee announced the launch of its second inquiry 'an inquiry into building safety regulation', with a particular focus on the work of the Building Safety Regulator' (BSR). The Committee was originally created to consider matters relating to industry, including Government policies promoting industrial growth, skills and competitiveness, and to scrutinise the work of UK regulators. At the time Baroness Taylor of Bolton, the Chair of the Industry and Regulators Committee, said;

“The safety of residents in higher-risk buildings was at the heart of the Building Safety Regulator being set up in 2022. The Committee wants to hear from all stakeholders to find out if the BSR has the skills and resources required to ensure the safety of all buildings and its residents in the process of approving applications for high-rise buildings. This is crucial if the Government is going to achieve its manifesto target of building 1.5 million homes over the next Parliament.”

On 15 July, 2025 the committee as part of its inquiry into building safety regulation, heard from Dame Judith Hackitt, in her capacity as chair of the independent panel to review Building Control. The session explored whether the BSR had improved high-rise safety, its impact on new housing delivery and maintenance, and changes in industry culture since the Grenfell Tower fire. The committee aimed to also assess whether BSR’s framework could be made more proportionate without compromising safety and if the regulator holds the necessary skills and resources for timely approvals.

[edit] What are Approved Documents and why are they important?

ADs provide detailed guidance for builders, architects, and other professionals on how to meet the functional requirements of building regulations in common building situations. However, concerns have been raised that they are overly complex and difficult to use. BSR is undertaking a major review to determine how best to provide clear, easy to understand guidance to the building regulations.

The Fundamental Review of Building Regulations Guidance is a vital step toward simplifying guidance, making compliance easier, and improving safety and quality in construction. It aims to make the approved documents more user-friendly and accessible, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), digitally updatable and regularly revised to keep pace with innovations in construction, better structured, with clarity and practicality at its core. The review sits within the broader Government reforms as described above, as well as investigating fast track building control decisions, strengthening of the Building Safety Regulator, and effectively delivering on the Grenfell Inquiry recommendations.

[edit] Why is this review happening?

Two major reports have highlighted the need for change:

Dame Judith Hackitt’s 2018 Review called the ADs “complex, ambiguous and not user-friendly” and recommended simplifying them as well as making them digital.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report echoed this sentiment, emphasising the need for continuous review and regular updates to ensure guidance remains relevant and effective.

In April 2023, the responsibility for updating and keeping ADs under review was transferred to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). BSR is now leading this important review. BSR’s Strategic Plan (2023-2026) commits to addressing the long-standing issues with the Approved Documents. In June 2025 the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) as part of the HSE was moved to become part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as a means to centralising Building Safety following recommendations from the Grenfell Inquiry..

[edit] What will the review focus on and achieve?

It will explore how to make the guidance:

Easier to understand and use.
Regularly updated to keep up with new technologies and practices.
More accessible, especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

The goal is to ensure that everyone who uses to 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.

[edit] Who is involved?

BSR is leading the review of the guidance and will be supported by individuals with expertise in architecture, building control, housebuilding, and digital and technical issues.

On July 31 in its news story 'Membership of Fundamental Review of Building Regulations Guidance' the government reported that it had appointed six members to the Fundamental Review of Building Regulations Guidance panel. It said "The panel is being appointed to support work to deliver on the recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry Phase 2 report, accepted by the government, to review the statutory guidance which accompany the Building Regulations known as Approved Documents." and that "The panel will provide an interim update in early 2026 and a final report in Summer 2026." The Panel members were announced as being:

Dinah Bornat, Architect: A renowned advocate for people-centred development, Director & Co-founder of ZCD, a research-led practice based in London who work on residential, community and commercial projects. She has served as a design advocate for the Mayor of London and an adviser to local authorities and developers.
Dan Rossiter, Digital Expert: Built Environment Sector Lead at BSI, and Vice-President Technical at the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists. He has previously provided his expertise to several national committees relating to information management and technical documentation in the built environment.
Danielle Michalska-Morris, Housebuilder: Director of Research and Technical Innovation at Taylor Wimpey. She brings to the panel her expert knowledge and experience in low carbon building design and building services.
Rachel Ferguson, Planner: Senior Development Manager at Pocket Living. She has extensive expertise in affordable housing, and brings her broad experience in planning including strategic master plans, estate regeneration projects and new build residential to this panel.
Professor Luke Bisby, Technical Expert: Chair of Fire and Structures and Director of Discipline at the University of Edinburgh.He served as an expert witness to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and will bring particular expertise on fire safety to this panel.
Dr Hywel Davies, Technical Expert: Former technical Director for the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). He served as the previous chair of DLUHC’s statutory committee, the Building Regulations Advisory Committee. He brings to this panel his broad expertise on a range of technical areas.

BSR will continue to gather feedback from residents, industry professionals, and government departments to ensure the review reflects everyone’s views.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/membership-of-fundamental-review-of-building-regulations-guidance

[edit] Comments from members and bodies

Vice-President Technical for CIAT since 2022, Dan Rossiter leads the Institute's work on technical guidance and standards. Dan is an expert in building performance standards and digital transformation. He is a Sector Lead for the built environment at BSI. Internationally, Dan convenes CEN and ISO terminology as well as strategy working groups relating to the digital transformation of the built environment. Speaking about his appointment, Dan Rossiter said:

"Chartered Architectural Technologists and other design professionals regularly reference the Approved Documents as they develop safe, healthy, accessible, and sustainable solutions to new design challenges. It is my hope that this review will provide an opportunity to improve, via digitalisation, the way in which the Approved Documents are structured, presented and used, taking advantage of the benefits available to truly digital resources."

"In particular, it is important to ensure that any recommended changes to the Approved Documents improve accessibility and reduce friction for small to medium enterprises (SMEs). With the sector, and our own professional institute, mainly consisting of sole traders and small businesses, success will be dependent on their acceptance of the proposed recommendations."

CIAT President, Eddie Weir PCIAT, said: "The Hackitt Review and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry highlighted serious and widespread failings in building safety. This review of Approved Documents is an important step in addressing one of these failings, and supporting the industry to deliver the safe buildings the public rightly expects. Dan is a passionate advocate for digital technology in the built environment. He will bring a wealth of experience, expertise and different perspectives to the review panel. Chartered Architectural Technologists are committed to delivering homes and buildings that meet the highest standards of quality and safety. We look forward to seeing the fruits of the work of Dan and his fellow panellists."