Legislation

BSRIA's Legislation and Guidance Tracker
This free news service monitors selected regulatory and guidance news in construction and building services. 

This tracker was last updated on 17/10/2019.

Highlights - recent:

• UK Government: New, clarified version of Building Regulations, Approved Document B were published on 5th July 2019*.
  The changes this introduces are intended to ensure that the document uses plain English, and it has also been significantly restructured with the design of blocks of flats moved from Volume 2 to Volume 1:
  Volume 1: Dwellings
  Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings
  The new version of the statutory guidance will come into force on 30 August 2019.
• Circular 02/2019, describes the amendments in detail. Read more here.
  
  * Update: 19/9/19 The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has released a notice of correction to Approved Document B 2019 edition. The correction changes come into effect immediately. Read more here
  
  
• The  £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund is running a Consultation on its final design. The project will help industry to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.   The Consultation runs from 10th October to 21st November 2019.  Read more here
  
  
• UK Government: Clean Air (No. 3) Bill 2017-19. The latest edition of a Bill to establish a right to breathe clean air; the latest amendment currently going through Parliament. Read more here
  
  
• The Future Homes Standard and changes to Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations for new dwellings is now open for Consultation from the 1st October 2019. Read more about this here
  
  
• UK Government: Guidance UK.The House of Commons Library has updated a briefing paper considering the conformity of the UK with product standards and safety marking in the lead up to Brexit. Read more here
  
  
• UK Government: policy: A newly-published report by WGBC (World Green Building Council)  presenting a climate action roadmap has set out the 36 most viable solutions to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Read more here
  
  
• UK Government policy: The Cabinet Office and Department for Exiting the European Union have published a ‘No-deal readiness report’, summarising UK preparations for exiting the EU on 31 October 2019. Read more here

What's new?

Regulations

• SSI 2019/274 Town and Country Planning and Electricity Works (EU Exit) (Scotland) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Amendment Regulations. This was created on 2nd September 2019. Read more here
• SSI 2019/277 Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act 2019 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations. This was created on 3rd September 2019. Read more here
• SI 2019/1253  The Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information (Amendment) Regulations 2019. This was created on 10th September 2019. Read more here
• SI 2019/1253: Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information (Amendment) Regulations 2019. The Regulations will come into force partly on 3 October 2019 and fully on 1 March 2020. Read more here
• SI 2019/1081. The Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 (Commencement No 6) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/1081 bring into force section 8(2) of the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 on 4th July 2019. Read more here
• UK Government: New, clarified version of Building Regulations, Approved Document B has been published on 5 July 2019. Read more here.
• The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) phase 2 will reach it's second compliance deadline in December 2019. Read more here to learn whether your organisation is compliant.

Legislation (Bill or Act)

• Bill: UK Government: Clean Air (No. 3) Bill 2017-19. A Bill to establish a right to breathe clean air; to make provision about reducing air pollution. Private member’s Bill presented on 2nd October 2019. First reading on 2nd October, the second reading is to be announced.  Find more here
• Bill: Low Carbon Domestic Heating Bill 2017-19. Read more here
• Bill: Digital Economy Act 2017 (Amendment) Bill [HL] 2017-19. Read more here
• Bill: Ground Rents (Leasehold Properties) Bill 2017-19. Read more here.
• Bill: Climate Change (Net Zero UK Carbon Account) Bill 2017-19. Read more here.
• Bill: Domestic Energy Efficiency Plan Bill 2017-19. Read more here
  
  

Consultations

• The Future Homes Standard: changes to Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations for new dwellings. 
  This Consultation ran from 1st October 2019 to 10th January 2020. Read more here
  
  
• Ofgem to consult on modifications to Smart Meter Installation Code of Practice. 
  This runs from 24th September to 8th October 2019. Read more here
  
  
• The £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund is finalising its design of its project objectives, which will help industry to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.  The Consultation is seeking views on the final design and runs from 10th October to 21st November 2019.   Read more here
  
  
• Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: call for evidence

  The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) have opened a call for evidence into the Homelessness Reduction Act. This Consultation runs from 18th - 27th September 2019. Read more here.

Guidance

• EEA: The European Environment Agency 
  has published a guidance report “Paving the way for a circular economy: insights on status and potentials,” EEA Report No 11/2019,  on 1st October 2019.  Read more here
• 
  RICS: Fire safety for Landlords. 
  RICS releases guide clearly explaining landlords and tenants' fire safety responsibilities. The short, impartial guide covers houses, apartments, flats and maisonettes for both landlords and the general public. Read more here
  
  RICS: The International Construction Measurement Standards (ICMS) Coalition
   has published the second edition of the ICMS standard. This edition has been revised and extended to incorporate the part played by life cycle costs in critical decisions about 'the importance of capital and longer-term costs that ultimately affect asset performance, longevity, disaster resilience and sustainability'. Read more here
  
  
• UK Government: Guidance: An updated version of the National Design Guide
  was announced at the Conservative Conference on 4th October 2019. This new design guide will introduce a national standard on house building for local authorities to adhere to. Read more here 

Policy and strategy

• WGBC: A newly-published climate action roadmap by the World Building Council
  
  has set out the 36 most viable solutions to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The solutions range from electric bikes to commercial shipping reform and reduced red meat consumption, all of which have the potential to scale rapidly so the world’s greenhouse gas emissions can reach net-zero by 2050. Global greenhouse gases must be cut to 50% by 2030. Read more here
  
  
• UK Government The government has responded to a report by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
  
  on modern methods of construction. Its response includes a foreword by the Housing Minister and goes on to outline the government’s progress and addresses the 21 recommendations outlined earlier by the committee. Read more here
  
  
• MHCLG: UK Government publishes circular letter on fire spread directed at building control bodies
  

  The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has published a circular letter regarding the application of requirement B4 of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010, SI 2010/2214. The letter is directed at building control bodies and discusses the risk of fire spread over the external walls of a building, especially in low-rise buildings. The letter also confirms that building control bodies should use judgement to consider the overall intent of requirement B4 of SI 2010/2214, and not just simply comply with specific guidance. Read more here

MORE FOR MEMBERS

• For our tracker with a list of all Legislation (Acts and Bills), Consultations Regulations and Guidance relevant to buildings and building services, updated in 2019, click here
• For our tracker with a selected list of Guidance supporting legislation published in 2019, click here.
• A simple spreadsheet with a list of current legislation, regulations and guidance sorted by construction and building services area is also available on request. Please email us.
  Please note this is updated regularly but not every week, so may not have the latest information.

OUR SERVICES

• Read about all our legislation services available to BSRIA members here.