Northern Ireland government consults over high-rise building safety approach

The Department for Communities (DfC) has been seeking views from those involved in the commissioning, design, construction, maintenance, and management of high-rise residential buildings (HRRBs) in Northern Ireland

Led by the DfC’s Residential Building Safety team, the initiative is part of a new move to develop new policy and legislation that will improve HRRB safety in the region. Notably, in Northern Ireland, HRRBs refer to buildings that have more than 4 floors and are at least 11 metres high with at least 2 residential dwellings.

As reported by Housing Today, an expert panel for the building safety programme was initially established by Northern Ireland’s Department of Finance in 2021.

Its purpose was to review key issues highlighted by Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and to look at the legal and policy responsibilities for building and fire safety. Specifically, it was tasked with “mak[ing] recommendations to improve the NI regime for building safety”, “ensur[ing] a robust future regulatory system and framework”, and “provid[ing] assurance to residents that the buildings they live in are safe”. 

In 2023, around 15 recommendations were released, including the implementation of a public register of HRRBs in Northern Ireland and the establishment of a building safety team and ‘Office for Building Safety’. Other recommendations include the introduction of appropriate fire suppression systems, such as sprinklers, in new high-rise residential buildings; and the development of a scheme for Northern Ireland using the model of the Building Safety Fund in England, to assess, and potentially fund, remediation required to buildings in Northern Ireland fitted with unsafe non-ACM cladding.

Public sector representatives, industry representatives, and those wishing to shape new policy were asked to partake in two sessions led by the Department in January 2025. Also informing the Residential Building Safety team’s work were the findings and recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which published its final report in September 2024.

As Director of Residential Building Safety, Derek Kennedy explains: “The building safety system in Northern Ireland is highly complex and involves a great number of stakeholders across the private and public sectors. It is essential that we work closely with all those in the industry to co-design optimal solutions for the region.” 

More information about the DfC’s plans for improving high-rise building safety can be found here.