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
Construction set for growth despite potential supply issues, says CPA
In its latest quarterly forecast, the Construction Products Association (CPA) forecasts that output in the industry will grow by 4.3% in 2022, slowing to 2.5% in 2023 compared to the 13.3% seen in 2021. This demonstrates the remarkable resilience of the sector to the...
Funding to support your Digital Development
There is little doubt that with escalating costs forcing us to look ever more carefully at productivity, initiatives like the Golden Thread and BIM and basic customer requirements for us to communicate better, share information in a more structured way and streamline...
Support ‘Get Boosted Now’ campaign
In light of recent figures from ONS on vaccine rates, Construction Minister Lee Rowley is urging construction workers to get their COVID‐19 booster. The Government has published a free employer toolkit containing a range of resources, such as briefing sheets,...