Last week MHCLG published a statement on fire safety which focused on medium- to low-rise residential buildings and primarily the external walls of such buildings.

The statement was co-authored by a small group of experts including Judith Hackitt and former fire chief Ken Knight at the request of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Their brief was to consider what the proportional levels of risk are in such buildings, what approaches to risk mitigation are appropriate and, in addition, to consider what the current related impact is on the housing market.

The experts concluded that there have been systemic failures in ensuring quality in residential buildings, yet that the risk to life safety is extremely low in buildings of the heights being considered.

…