Fire safety in focus: Key building regulation updates you need to know

If meeting fire safety requirements feels like a moving target, you’re not imagining it. Over recent years, Approved Document B (ADB) and wider building regulations have shifted considerably, and there are more changes on the way.

We thought it worthwhile to summarise some key aspects of what has changed already, what’s about to land, and what’s still on the horizon.

2020 and 2022 amendments

The first wave of changes came in 2020, where two key shifts stand out:

• Sprinklers are required in new blocks of flats over 11m, down from the previous 30m trigger height.
• Clearer wayfinding signage for firefighters became a new recommendation, so flats above 11m need floor and flat identification signage.

In 2022, amendments were made that tackled external wall systems and materials. Combustible materials were banned on and within the walls of residential buildings, residential educational premises, hospitals, care homes, and dormitories above 11m. Section 12 of ADB was updated to reflect this, and a number of clarifications and corrections were also rolled into the guidance. In short, product specification and detailing on taller buildings were tightened up significantly.

Introduced in 2025

From 2 March 2025, for relevant building work where the building control application is submitted AFTER this date, further provisions take effect. Three of note are:

• Regulation 38 and fire safety information requirements were strengthened, meaning a more thorough handover of fire safety information at completion.
• National fire test classes (BS 476) for reaction to fire and roofs were withdrawn in favour of Euroclass standards, which brings consistency with external wall testing.
• All new care homes in England must be fitted with sprinklers, protecting vulnerable residents who may not be able to evacuate quickly or easily.

For those planning care home projects, sprinkler requirements now need to be factored in from the outset in the building design process.

Design change from 2026

The 2026 amendments, effective from 30 September 2026, are already beginning to shape discussions in design offices. Two provisions dominate:

• Any new residential building over 18m (measured as per Building Safety Act 2022) will now require more than one common staircase. Transitional arrangements are in place in that if a building notice or approval is made to the authority before 30 September 2026 and work is “sufficiently progressed” (e.g. foundations poured) within 18 months, the single staircase rule may still apply, but the clear direction of change in this area has now been spelled out.
• Design standards will be updated to support the use of evacuation lifts, where provided, in blocks of flats – a recognition that safe egress isn’t just all about additional stairway provision.

This is a change many architects and developers are already wrestling with. It reshapes building layouts, affects net-to-gross ratios, and carries cost implications. Yet, beyond the project challenges, it speaks to one of the clearest lessons from recent tragedies, namely that a single escape route in larger multi-unit dwellings is not enough to keep residents safe or to give emergency services the access they need to manage evacuations effectively.

Looking further ahead to 2029

From 2 September 2029, all references to BS 476 national classes for fire resistance will be removed from Approved Document B in England. After this date, only BS EN 13501-2 classifications (Euroclass system) will be recognised for demonstrating fire resistance compliance. Transitional arrangements apply, where a building notice, initial notice, or full plans application was made before 2 September 2029, works that are “sufficiently progressed” (e.g foundations laid) before this date or within six months after may continue to use BS 476 standards.

This change affects fire-resistant construction elements including walls, floors, partitions, and fire doors. Design and project teams will need to ensure specifications, certification, and test evidence are all aligned to Euroclass. Legacy BS 476 testing or expert opinion-based assessments will no longer be accepted. Manufacturers who haven’t retested products to BS EN 13501-2 will need to complete these programs promptly. For designers and contractors, phasing out reliance on national classes is a crucial step for future procurement and approvals. Late-stage substitutions could introduce cost or delay. The Euroclass system is already used for reaction to fire of surface materials and external wall systems, so most teams will be familiar with the change, but now need to apply it across all fire resistance requirements.

Beyond the documents

ADB amendments are only one piece of the wider building safety picture. The Building Safety Act 2022 continues to reshape responsibilities through the three Gateways, dutyholder roles, and the ‘golden thread’ of safety information. Secure information boxes (required on higher-risk buildings since January 2024), evacuation alert systems (from 2023), and enhanced firefighting shaft requirements are all now part of the compliance landscape too. The cumulative effect is fairly clear – fire safety has to be embedded from the earliest stage of design, considered through planning, and evidenced clearly at handover.

Making it practical and achievable

If all of this change feels daunting, then you’re not alone. Many of our clients and project teams are grappling with the same questions in terms of how they start to adapt designs, evidence compliance and avoid delays at Gateway 2. The honest answer is that forward planning saves headaches. Changes like this are not the time to ‘ignore it until the deadline’. Early engagement with building safety advisors, fire engineers, and compliance consultants is the smartest route.

At enevo Building Safety, we’ve been working alongside clients to do exactly this from supporting dutyholders with documentation, to advising principal designers on compliance strategies, as well as carrying out the testing and inspections that keep built-environment projects moving.

For the latest official guidance and amendment booklets, refer to gov.uk’s fire safety Approved Document B pages:

Fire safety: Approved Document B (GOV.UK)
Approved Document B (Fire Safety): new updates to support enhanced fire safety (GOV.UK)
Approved Document B Volume 1: Dwellings (Planning Portal)
Approved Document B – Volume 1 : Full PDF (from UK Government site)
Approved Document B – Volume 2 : Full PDF (from UK Government site)

What next?

There’s still more to come, not least the Building Safety Levy (effective from 1 October 2026, following postponement and draft regulations) and further guidance and change expected from the Building Safety Regulator. But the key takeaway at this moment in time is that the pace of change is not slowing, and the projects that succeed will be the ones that treat safety as a design driver, not a separate bolt-on process.

Are you planning a scheme that might straddle the 2026 cut-off dates, or do you need to understand what the sprinkler provisions mean for a care home project already in design? If you’d like to talk through how any of these changes could impact your developments, or simply want clarity on the transitional rules, the team at enevo is here to help, just get in touch for a conversation about how we can assist.