Key changes and developments

• The Fire Safety Act 2021 has made clear that Article 6 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to a building’s structure and external walls and any common parts, as well as doors and windows in those walls and balconies, where it contains two or more sets of domestic premises;

• The government introduced its Building Safety Bill into the House of Commons in July 2021, paving the way for a more rigorous regulatory regime and formally naming the HSE as the Building Safety Regulator. The FBU fire brigades’ union described it as the most substantial legislative response to the Grenfell Tower disaster to date, but “vitally flawed” in its current form.