The Government has published a document listing amendments to Volumes 1 and 2 of Approved Document B which will come into effect in September 2026.
These amendments principally concern:
- Threshold for the provision of a second staircase in blocks of flats with a storey 18m or more in height.
- Evacuation shafts are introduced to support the provision of evacuation lifts.
- Changes to provisions for fire doorsets.
- New terminology including definitions for evacuation shaft, evacuation lift lobby, interlocked stair and storey exit.
- Provisions for horizontal escape and vertical escape separated as per the structure of Volume 2.
The 2019 edition incorporating the 2020 and 2022 amendments will continue to apply where a building notice or an initial notice has been given to, or a building control approval application with full plans made to, the relevant authority before 30 September 2026 and either the building work to which it relates:
- has started and is sufficiently progressed before that day; or
- is started and is sufficiently progressed within the period of 18 months beginning on that day
You can view the amendments at the link below:
Fire safety: Approved Document B
FIS will publish further detailed guidance on these changes in the coming months.
See more news likes this
Changes to Building Regulations and Cladding Systems
With the Building Safety Act now in force, we are seeing changes to the wider building regulations continuing apace. Below are two key changes of significant note. The ban on the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings with a storey at...
NHBC announces revisions to its Technical Standards
NHBC’s revisions to its Technical Standards are now live. The latest edition of the organisation’s Technical Standards applies to every new home registered with the new homes warranty and insurance provider where the foundations have been laid on or after 1 January...
Demand for construction workers high despite economic uncertainty
Against a backdrop of economic challenge, rising materials and labour costs, new figures from CITB reveal that almost 225,000 extra workers will be required to meet UK construction demand by 2027. CITB’s annual Construction Skills Network (CSN) report shows that: •...