Building regs and guidance need modernisation, accountability and reform – Fire Chiefs

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has today, 10 December 2025, called for the modernisation of the regulations and guidance underpinning England’s building safety system, strengthened accountability across the sector, and building design that meets the needs of all occupants.

The Building Regulations 2010 set performance standards that all buildings must meet, which are supported by statutory guidance in the Approved Documents. However, in a new Building Regulations and Guidance Position Statement, NFCC warns that the current system is outdated, with the guidance no longer reflecting modern construction methods, changes in building use, or the needs of a diverse or ageing population. Much of the guidance for the building regulations is still based on post-war building studies and has not kept pace with new risks or new legislation such as the Equality Act 2010 and the Building Safety Act 2022.

NFCC’s Position Statement highlights that:

• Approved Documents do not guarantee compliance with the Building Regulations – and non-compliance does not automatically incur liability – creating ambiguity that demands clearer standards, stronger competence, and improved oversight.
• Critical areas have gone more than a decade without meaningful review, including guidance on access and facilities for fire and rescue services.
• Building design must enable all residents to evacuate without external assistance. Yet current government guidance still does not require evacuation lifts, even in new residential buildings, and fails to reflect that many residents cannot safely use stairs in an emergency.

National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Chair, Phil Garrigan, said:

“Buildings should be designed with the safety of the occupier in mind. Safety should never be compromised or considered secondary to the building design and the design should be inclusive and accessible from the outset.

“The Grenfell Tower fire highlighted the need to consider the human factors that can affect a person’s ability to leave a building safely – this must be built into planning and design from the very beginning.

“Our position statement is clear – the building regulation guidance is outdated, hasn’t kept pace with modern methods of construction, is too often misunderstood, and too slow to change. Residents have the right to expect that, should they need to, they can evacuate, or be supported to evacuate, their homes safely, including those with mobility impairments or other vulnerabilities.  And those responsible for designing, constructing and managing buildings must adhere to clear and consistent standards.

“The Government’s commitment to further consultation and regular review of Approved Document B is welcome, but it must translate into meaningful, timely action. We need a modern, inclusive, and accountable system that reflects how people live today and ensures tragedies like the Grenfell Tower fire can never be repeated.”

Dame Judith Hackitt’s 2018 Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety called for a cultural shift towards prioritising safety, and consideration of how buildings will be used and managed once complete. Fire and rescue services provided advice on more than 45,000 building regulation consultations last year, yet this advice is not always acted upon – which can lead to costly measures including prohibition notices and waking watches. NFCC also highlights that current interpretations of the guidance allow developers to exploit ‘non-worsening’ provisions, avoiding installation of critical life-safety systems, such as sprinklers and firefighting lifts, even when these could be added at minimal cost during refurbishments.

Without regulatory action to stop these practices, NFCC warns that the culture change envisaged by the Independent Review will not be achieved.

Firefighters must be able to rely on buildings to provide safety for firefighters and adequate facilities to perform their role. This requires clear standards for vehicle access, adequate water supply, properly designed firefighting shafts, and effective ventilation in corridors and basements – ensuring crews have the best possible conditions to save lives.

Key recommendations

NFCC’s Position Statement makes three core recommendations to Government:

• Regularly Update Approved Documents
  Ensure comprehensive reviews at least every five years, with clearer definitions of common building situations, mandatory evacuation lifts in all new residential buildings, retrofitted sprinklers in single-stair high-rises, improved firefighter access and water supply provisions, and explicit consideration of long-term management responsibilities.
• Strengthen Competence Across the System
  Examination of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations, including licensing for principal contractors on higher-risk buildings and mandatory accreditation for fire risk assessors, supported by a government-led Construction Skills Strategy to address workforce gaps.
• Improve Oversight and Accountability
  Protect building control bodies from commercial pressures, make fire and rescue service advice statutory, review non-worsening provisions to prevent avoidance of safety upgrades, and enforce Operational Standards Rules consistently.

ENDS

Notes to editors

• NFCC’s Building Regulations and Guidance Position Statement can be found here.
• Approved Document B was last subject to a full review process following a 2018 call for evidence, but many sections remain unreviewed.
• The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report and the Hackitt Review both identified widespread misinterpretation of the guidance, gaps in competence, and weak oversight mechanisms.
• The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is a charity and an independent membership association and the professional voice of the UK Fire and Rescue Service. NFCC supports fire and rescue services to help them to save lives and keep their local communities safe.