Government announces clarification of language contained in Approved Document B

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that Approved Document B has been redrafted to clarify its language and content in line with the Department’s style guide for approved documents. The Ministry stresses that there have been no changes to the technical guidance contained within Approved Document B.

In addition to the style changes, the document has also been restructured to ensure consistency in line with other Approved Documents. This has resulted in a split between dwellings and non-dwellings and the design of blocks of flats has been moved from volume 2 to volume 1.

The call for evidence on the technical review of the building regulations and associated fire safety guidance (Approved Document B) closed on 15 March 2019 and responses are now being considered. Further announcements will be made in due course. Future policy changes will be subject to separate public consultation.

The changes made to the Approved Documents apply only to buildings and building work in England. The new approved documents will come into force on 30 August 2019.