Hackitt final report published

The Hackitt Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety final report, Building a Safer Future, has been published and has recommended the establishment of a new regulatory framework for building safety to address identified weaknesses in the system.

The interim report identified that the current system of Building Regulations and fire safety is not fit for purpose and that a culture change is required to support the delivery of buildings that are safe. It found that the roles and responsibilities of those procuring, designing, constructing and maintaining buildings are unclear and regulations and guidance in the form of Approved Documents can be ambiguous and inconsistent. It also found that the product testing, labelling and marketing regime is opaque and insufficient.

The new regulatory framework would address all of these issues and “strengthen regulatory oversight to create both positive incentives to comply with building safety requirements and to effectively deter non- compliance”.

The new regulatory framework will be focused, in the first instance, on multi-occupancy higher risk residential buildings (HRRBs) that are ten storeys or more in height.

The report also recommends the establishment of a new Joint Competent Authority (JCA) comprising Local Authority Building Standards, fire and rescue authorities and the Health and …