As part of its commitment to review the statutory guidance that accompanies the Building Regulations – the Approved Documents – the government has appointed six members to the Fundamental Review of Building Regulations Guidance panel
In December 2024, the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) announced that the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) would undertake a fundamental review of the Building Regulations guidance, focusing on how it was produced, structured, and presented.
The fundamental review follows a series of recommendations made in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report, which called for a review of the statutory guidance that accompanies the Building Regulations, known as the Approved Documents.
In its current state, the Building Regulations outline the ‘functional requirements’ or minimum required standards for building work, whilst the Approved Documents contain general guidance on the performance expected of materials and building work.
Concerns were raised in the Inquiry report regarding how the statutory guidance was expressed. As stated by the Inquiry team in the Phase 2 report: “Nothing we have discovered in the course of our investigations has led us to think that expressing the legal requirements of the Building Regulations in terms of functional requirements is in itself unsatisfactory, but we do think that the way in which the statutory guidance in Approved Document B was expressed was unsatisfactory in a number of respects.
“…Most importantly, we do not think that Approved Document B provides the information needed to design buildings that are safe in fire.”
An urgent revision and regular reviews of the guidance were recommended, and the government, in its response to the Inquiry recommendations, agreed:
“The Building Safety Regulator is undertaking a review of how statutory guidance, currently offered in the form of Approved Documents, might best be structured, updated, and presented in order to provide accurate, up-to-date, and coherent guidance to support designers in demonstrating compliance with the building regulations.”
MHCLG added: “The guidance in Approved Document B has been updated several times since 2017 to make it clearer and to improve fire safety standards. The government has committed to keep Approved Document B under continuous review, and the Building Safety Regulator will consult on further changes in autumn 2025.”
The Inquiry team also highlighted the need for a “fresh approach” to the guidance: “Fresh minds are needed. We therefore recommend that, as far as possible, membership of bodies advising on changes to the statutory guidance should include representatives of the academic community as well as those with practical experience of the industry (including fire engineers) chosen for their experience and skill and should extend beyond those who have served on similar bodies in the past.”
Reflecting a range of professional expertise from across the built environment, six members have now been appointed to the Fundamental Review of Building Regulations Guidance panel, as follows:
- Dinah Bornat, Architect
- Dan Rossiter, Digital Expert
- Danielle Michalska-Morris, Housebuilder
- Rachel Ferguson, Planner
- Professor Luke Bisby, Technical Expert
- Dr Hywel Davies, Technical Expert
Further details about each panel member can be found here.
On 31 July 2025, Minister for Building Safety, Alex Norris, said: “The appointment of this panel is an important step in our response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Guidance which supports compliance with Building Regulations must be clear, accurate, and practical, and subject to regular updates to ensure it remains effective.
“The work of the panel will support our delivery of 1.5 million new homes, by making compliance easier, improving safety and quality in construction, and ensuring greater confidence in the building safety system. I look forward to receiving the panel’s recommendations.”
Whilst their role is advisory, the panel is expected to provide an interim update in early 2026 and a final report for the government in Summer 2026.