The UK government has announced that The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 will implement the majority of the recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in its Phase 1 report, which required a change in the law.

The regulations seek to improve the fire safety of blocks of flats in ways which are practical, cost effective for individual leaseholders and proportionate to the risk of fire and will come into force on 23 January 2023 following the publication of supporting guidance which is due later in 2022.

The regulations will make it a legal requirement for responsible persons – that is a building owner, or in residential properties, any other person in control of the premises – of high-rise blocks of flats to provide information to Fire and Rescue Services to assist them to plan and, if needed, provide an effective operational response. These regulations will apply to existing buildings. Requirements for new buildings may be different.

In high-rise residential buildings, responsible persons will be required to

• Provide building plans to their local Fire and Rescue service with up-to-date electronic building floor plans and to place a hard copy of these plans.
• Provide to their local Fire and Rescue Service information about the design and materials of a high-rise building’s external wall system and to inform the Fire and Rescue Service of any material changes to these walls.
• Undertake monthly checks on the operation of lifts intended for use by firefighters, and evacuation lifts in their building and check the functionality of other key pieces of firefighting equipment.
• Install and maintain a secure information box in their building containing the name and contact details of the Responsible Person and hard copies of the building floor plans.
• Install signage visible in low light or smoky conditions that identifies flat and floor numbers in the stairwells of relevant buildings.

In residential buildings with storeys over 11 metres in height, responsible persons will be required to undertake annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of all fire doors in the common parts.

In all multi-occupied residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises, responsible persons will be required to provide relevant fire safety instructions to their residents, which will include instructions on how to report a fire and any other instruction which sets out what a resident must do once a fire has occurred, and provide residents with information relating to the importance of fire doors in fire safety.

On whether these regulations are a proportionate response, the government guidance stated: “These regulations, where they legislate to require responsible persons to provide information to fire and rescue services focus only on high-rise residential buildings. This approach is a proportionate one which implements the majority of the Phase 1 recommendations, which require a change in the law, in a practical way.”

Commenting on the government’s plans, Grenfell United said: “We are enraged at the government, whose sole focus continues to be profit and not public safety. We’ve fought for years to create a legacy for our 72 loved ones, and to prevent another Grenfell. But five years on, the government has reverted back to the same policy in place before Grenfell.

“This policy resulted in 41% of those living with disabilities dying at Grenfell. It left them with no personal evacuation plan and no means of escape. They didn’t stand a chance. This report is a disgrace.

“Disabled people have the right to leave their homes safely. The government must implement the recommendation from the Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Inquiry and ensure personal evacuation plans for disabled residents.”