<p>The government has announced a package of measures to strengthen building safety regulations and fire guidance, including introducing secure information boxes for new residential buildings of more than 11 metres.</p> <p>Taking up recommendations from phase one of the Grenfell Tower inquiry and as part of an update to Part B (fire safety), the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) stated that, under the changes, tall residential buildings would need a secure information box to store important information about a building for fire and rescue services. </p> <p>In another Grenfell inquiry recommendation, new residential schemes above 18 metres will now need to feature an Evacuation Alert System to help emergency services inform residents of a change in evacuation strategy during an incident.</p> <p>DLUHC has also introduced regulations – following a review and consultation – to widen the building scope of the ban on combustible materials in and on external walls to hotels, hostels and boarding houses. Introduced in 2018, the ban currently applies to blocks of flats, hospitals, student accommodation and dormitories in boarding schools.</p> <p>The new regulations additionally prohibit Metal Composite Material panels with unmodified <span>polyethylene core, on all new buildings of any height. This follows government research …