Today (31 July), the government has announced the appointment of
six members to the Fundamental Review of Building Regulations
Guidance panel.
The panel is being appointed to support work to deliver on the
recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry Phase 2
report, accepted by the government, to review the statutory
guidance which accompany the Building Regulations known as
Approved Documents.
In December 2024, we announced that the Building Safety Regulator
would be leading a fundamental
review of the building regulations guidance, to centre on how
they are produced, structured and presented. The Fundamental
Review of Building Regulations Guidance panel members will
support and inform the review and the members each come with
extensive experience across a range of sectors.
The panel will provide an interim update in early 2026 and a
final report in Summer 2026.
Minister for Building Safety, said:
“The appointment of this panel is an important step in our
response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Guidance which supports
compliance with Building Regulations must be clear, accurate, and
practical, and subject to regular updates to ensure it remains
effective.
“The work of the panel will support our delivery of 1.5 million
new homes, by making compliance easier, improving safety and
quality in construction, and ensuring greater confidence in the
building safety system. I look forward to receiving the panel's
recommendations.”
Background on the Approved Documents and Building
Regulations system
- The Building Regulations set the minimum required standards
for building work, referred to as the ‘functional
requirements'.
- The Approved Documents contain general guidance on the
performance expected of materials and building work, including
practical examples of how to achieve compliance in common
building situations.
- The Grenfell Tower Inquiry raised concerns about the way that
the statutory guidance is expressed. In April 2023, the
responsibility for updating and keeping Approved Documents under
review was transferred to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), in
line with their duty under the Building Safety Act 2022 to keep
under review the safety and standards of buildings.
- In December 2024, the BSR was commissioned by the government
to conduct a fundamental review of the statutory guidance, and
the new panel has been appointed to inform this work.
Further information
The establishment of the panel was announced on 31 July 2025.
The Grenfell Tower Phase 2 Inquiry recommended that the statutory
guidance be urgently reviewed. On 2 December 2024 the Deputy
Prime Minister announced a fundamental review of the statutory
guidance to the Building Regulations. This panel will inform that
review. The panel's role is advisory. The aim is to
produce an interim report in early 2026 and a final report by
Summer 2026.
Further updates, including the panel's Terms of Reference, will
be published shortly.
Panel members
Dinah Bornat, Architect
Dinah is a renowned advocate for people-centred development. She
is the Director & Co-founder of ZCD, a research-led practice
based in London who work on residential, community and commercial
projects. She has served as a design advocate for the Mayor
of London and an adviser to local authorities and
developers.
Dan Rossiter, Digital Expert
Dan is the Built Environment Sector Lead at the British Standards
Institute, and Vice-President Technical at the Chartered
Institute of Architectural Technologists. He has previously
provided his expertise to several national committees relating to
information management and technical documentation in the built
environment.
Danielle Michalska-Morris, Housebuilder
Danielle is the Director of Research and Technical Innovation at
Taylor Wimpey. She brings to the panel her expert knowledge and
experience in low carbon building design and building services.
Rachel Ferguson, Planner
Rachel is Senior Development Manager at Pocket Living. She has
extensive expertise in affordable housing, and brings her broad
experience in planning including strategic masterplans, estate
regeneration projects and new build residentials to this
panel.
Professor Luke Bisby, Technical Expert
Luke is the Chair of Fire and Structures and Director of
Discipline at the University of Edinburgh. He served as an expert
witness to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and will bring particular
expertise on fire safety to this panel.
Dr Hywel Davies, Technical Expert
Hywel is the former technical Director for the Chartered
Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). He served as
the previous chair of DLUHC's statutory committee, and the
Building Regulations Advisory Committee. He brings to this panel
his broad expertise on a range of technical areas.