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P2-11

Develop new test methods for evacuation strategy assessments

Grenfell Tower Inquiry · Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report · Issued 4 September 2024 · Addressed to: UK Government

Government responseUK Government: Accepted (Feb 2025)

DeliveryMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says in progress (Sep 2026)

Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry

●Inquiry recommendation

Assessing whether an external wall system can support a particular evacuation strategy is difficult because the necessary information is not always available. We therefore recommend that steps be taken in conjunction with the professional and academic community to develop new test methods that will provide the information needed for such assessments to be carried out reliably. (113.17)

Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report · 4 Sep 2024 Source PDF →

Published evidence summary

AI-generated evidence summary

In September 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reported that the Building Safety Regulator is analysing over 500 consultation responses on Approved Document B, with recommendations expected by March 2027 and the wider review of statutory guidance scheduled for completion in late 2027 (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sep 2026; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sep 2026). HM Government had accepted the recommendation in February 2025, committing to work with the professional and academic community through the review to consider changes and inform new test methods for external wall systems (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government response, Feb 2025).

AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.

Government response

●UK Government · Accepted · 26 Feb 2025

Words of: HM Government, Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response (CP 1248), presented to Parliament by the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, 26 February 2025

The government accepts this recommendation. We will work with the professional and academic community to address this recommendation through the ongoing Approved Document B review led by the Building Safety Regulator which will consider any necessary changes to the guidance for external walls. Research in this area will inform any future evolution of changes to or introduction of new testing methods. The government will look to the construction sector to demonstrate that the test methods used are effective and give a genuine indication of the likely behaviour of an external wall system in the event of a fire.

Extract from: Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response (HTML version)

Site note: This is the government's response to the Phase 2 report (CP 1248, published 26 February 2025). It prints each recommendation and then the response to it. Where the recommendation is addressed to a body outside government, the response prints that body's own acceptance (the Architects Registration Board and RIBA, HMICFRS, London Fire Brigade, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the British Standards Institution, the National Police Chiefs' Council), and the row is filed under that body.

Delivery

●Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says in progress · 10 Sep 2026

Timeline for delivery
2026
- Launch consultation on changes to Approved Document B. – Complete
2027
- Analyse consultation responses and begin drafting recommendations. – (Q1, Jan to Mar)
- Publish recommendations to update Approved Document B. – (Q2, Apr to Jun)
- Complete Fundamental Review of Building Regulations guidance and set out next steps for implementation. – (Q4, Oct to Dec)

From: Progress report September 2026: implementation timeline for Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations (part of Grenfell Tower Inquiry Government Progress Report: September 2026)

Site note: This is the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's progress report of September 2026 on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations. Where the passage describes work by another body, such as the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade, fire and rescue services, the British Standards Institution or the Cabinet Office, it is the Ministry's account of that body's progress, and the row is filed under the Ministry.

Earlier statements on delivery (0)

●Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · 10 Sep 2026

The Building Safety Regulator’s consultation on changes to Approved Document B closed on 1 July 2026. More than 500 responses were received, more than double the number received to the consultation on second staircases. The Building Safety Regulator is now analysing the responses, which will inform recommendations for future changes to Approved Document B. Given the volume and technical nature of the responses received, recommendations are expected by March 2027.

Work also continues on the Fundamental Review of Building Regulations guidance, which is considering how approved documents and other statutory guidance can be improved. An interim report is expected to be published in Q3 (July to September) 2026.

The Building Advisory Committee is now established and operational, chaired by Barbara Lane and supported by Deputy Chair Hywel Davies. The Building Advisory Committee Fire Safety Working Group is also established and actively supporting the review of Approved Document B, bringing together expertise from academia and industry.

From: Progress report September 2026: the construction industry (part of Grenfell Tower Inquiry Government Progress Report: September 2026)

Site note: This is the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's progress report of September 2026 on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations. Where the passage describes work by another body, such as the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade, fire and rescue services, the British Standards Institution or the Cabinet Office, it is the Ministry's account of that body's progress, and the row is filed under the Ministry.

●Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · 25 Feb 2026

Since the government published its response to the Grenfell recommendations in February 2025, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has been taking forward the Fundamental Review of Building Regulations guidance. In July 2025, BSR established a six-member expert panel, bringing together academic, industry and technical expertise to oversee and challenge the development of proposals. Engagement with stakeholders has been sustained and supplements commissioned research. An interim report is expected in spring 2026. This work has focused on improving the structure and usability of statutory guidance, while ensuring relevant recommendations from Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (recommendations 5 to 12) are addressed in a coherent and proportionate way.

From: Annual Report February 2026: the construction industry (part of Grenfell Tower Inquiry Government Annual Report: February 2026)

Site note: This is the annex of the government's Phase 2 annual report (CP 1512, published 25 February 2026) as GOV.UK publishes it, one page per theme: the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's account. Where the passage describes work by another body, such as the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade, the British Standards Institution, the Health and Safety Executive or the Cabinet Office, it is the report's account of that body's progress, and the row is filed under the Ministry. The status is what the passage says: completed only where it says the recommendation is complete or closed.

Site note: The source gives this passage once, for recommendations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 together. The same words are recorded on P2-5, P2-6, P2-7, P2-8, P2-9, P2-11 and P2-12.

How this page is built

The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.