University:
University College London
Course:
LAWS0023 | Commercial Law
Academic year:

2024
Views:

97

Pages:

4
Author:

Nam B.

Building Safety Regulations Over The Last 35 Years Date: November 2022 Grenfell Tower - 72 people died - 70 people were injured - The worst residential fire in the UK since WW2. Structure - 1. Early History • - Piecemeal Legislation 2. Deregulation • The Building Act 1984 • Approved Document B  1985-2010 - 3. The Building Act 2022 Early History – The Great Fire of London - The London Building Act 1667 • All houses to be built from brick or stone • Streets to be widened • Regulated:  Load-bearing walls  Foundations  Timber in party walls  Joist centers  Beam bearings  Roof coverings  Rainwater gutters  Down-pipes • Provided for surveyors Early History – The Regional Acts - Bristol Building Act 1788 - Liverpool Building Act 1825 20th Century – Piecemeal Legislation - 1956 - Eastwood Mill, Knightley • - 1960 Henderson & Sons, Liverpool • - The Factories Act 1961 Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963 1969 Rose and Crown Hotel, Saffron Walden • The Fire Precautions Act 1971 The Building Act 1984 - Maximum self-regulation - Minimum government interference - Self-financing - Simple Approved Document B – 1985 - "...there is no obligation to adopt any particular solution contained in an Approved Document if you prefer to meet the relevant requirement in some other way." - - Class 0 • External surfaces should be of "limited combustibility" • Class 0 materials met this standard But, according to the FBU: • Class 0 not equivalent to a material of limited combustibility • Combustible materials can achieve Class 0 performance by adding fire retardants or covering them with metal foil Approved Document B – 2000 The Garnock Court Inquiry - Heard evidence from The Building Research Establishment ("BRE") • Charged manufacturers £15,000 to carry out fire safety tests • Developed a new large-scale test - Fire Note 9- as an alternative path to compliance • Test results confidential • Adopted in Approved Document B 2000 Approved Document B – 2006 Kyoto Protocol 1997 - Two key changes: • 1. "Test route" to compliance available for insulation as well as external surfaces. • 2. "large-scale test" replaced with "full-scale test data" Desktop Studies - Manufacturers argued it would be "impractical" to test every possible combination of materials - DS ascertain whether a new combination of materials would pass if it were tested - Building Control Alliance (BCA) guidance note: • 1. DS to be carried out by laboratories accredited by the UKAS • 2. DS to be carried out by "a suitable qualified fire specialist" The Building Safety Act 2022 - - - 1. Causes of action • a. New construction product cause of action • b. Section 38 Building Act • c. Building Liability Orders • d. Extension of limitation periods 2. Oversight • a. New Building Safety Regulator • b. New Home Ombudsman • c. The "Golden Thread" of vital building information • d. "Accountable Person" 3. New regulations • a. New duty-holder regulations designed to ensure that building work (including design) complies with the Building Regulations • b. A stricter regulatory regime for higher-risk buildings