Built environment experts including NLA's Expert Panel Chair for Technical Competency Arita Morris, Andrew Mellor, Partner at PRP and Cllr Claire Holland, Chair of London Councils reflect on the Grenfell Inquiry’s Final Report.

The Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017 was a tragedy that not only claimed 72 lives but exposed critical failings in the UK’s building safety regulations, construction practices, and the systemic disregard for the safety of residents. After years of painstaking investigation, the Grenfell Inquiry’s final report, marking the conclusion of Phase 2, is a sobering document that lays bare the failures across various sectors involved in the construction and maintenance of buildings. The inquiry’s recommendations for reform have sparked significant reflection from professionals across the built environment.

72 people including 18 children lost their lives in the early hours of Wednesday the 14th June 2017. All of the lives lost were preventable. 

 

These two sentences from the Phase 2 report are gut-wrenching and profoundly moving. The despair and horror of the survivors and loved ones of the deceased at knowing this fact is unimaginable. The Phase 2 Report follows over six years of horrific and sometimes unspeakable evidence, and the pain goes on as justice is pursued. Volume 6 (Part 9) ‘The Deceased’ should be compulsory reading for the whole industry.

 

Many actors are held responsible for contributing to the disaster; central government, local council landlord, regulatory bodies, architects, fire engineers, building control, the council, contractors, sub-contractors, manufacturers, the fire brigade. There will have been many more, not named, but involved. The list reflects the entire system of regulating, procuring, and delivering buildings and all of us who are part of it should feel a burden of responsibility. Attention must now be on the Built Environment industry and how we respond to the report’s criticism and recommendations.

 

Regulatory changes have sought higher safety standards in new buildings and the approach to the specification of materials and design of fire safety has changed to a degree. But not enough has changed in the culture and process of design and construction; the current built environment system is in essence identical to pre-Grenfell. There is still so much to do.

 

Dr. Barbara Lane’s report Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Recommendations issued to the Inquiry panel in December 2023 contains 53 recommendations as part of a ‘Change Framework’ which is published by Arup. Some of these are included in the Phase 2 Inquiry report recommendations. The background to Dr. Lane’s recommendations make for depressing reading:

 

Dr. Lane’s observations are rightly critical. Unless the industry is committed to a system -wide change we will find ourselves back here with more tragedies. The Inquiry panel member Thouria Istephan, visibly moved during her statement, spoke with precision about the commitment and culture required.

 

“If we are not professionally curious, we will not become technically competent,” she said. “If you work in the construction industry and do not feel the weight of the responsibility you have for keeping people safe, you are in the wrong job.”

 

We all have to ask ourselves this question and be honest and humble in our response.

 

The executive summary of the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report makes damning reading and is critical of several bodies and organisations for their conduct before the tragedy. The full report is expected to be even more so.

 

The recommendations for change and improvement are wide and far reaching. If adopted, many of the recommendations will bring significant change, but implementation could take years. As a practice, we welcome the proposal for the ARB and RIBA to review the sufficiency of the competency changes they have already implemented for architects. I have advocated for a single regulator for Building Safety for several years; we do not have that today, even with the Building Safety Regulator.

 

The inquiry recommendations go further and propose a single construction regulator responsible for construction product regulations, testing, fire risk assessor accreditations, building control oversight, and the licensing of contractors to work on Higher Risk Buildings (HRB). This is huge and impacts both current responsibilities and those planned for various government departments. While it's a sensible proposal, it will require a lot of resources to implement. I anticipate it will take at least two years before it can become operational.

 

We also welcome the proposal to review all Approved Documents, including Approved Document B fire safety, to ensure clarity and that they are fit for purpose. The proposal for a statement in the statutory guidance documents that says reliance on the guidance will not necessarily ensure compliance with Building Regulations is one that will be worrisome for many designers and contractors.

 

The proposed national register of contractors for HRBs will be welcomed by clients. But will many contractors sign up when a director has to personally guarantee that the building constructed is as safe as required by the Building Regulations? We will see.

 

There is much more to review, and the full report will need to be thoroughly examined to fully grasp the implications of the findings and recommendations.

Cllr Claire Holland, Chair of London Councils:

 

The Grenfell Tower fire was a tragedy that shook London to the core and robbed 72 people of their lives in horrific circumstances. On the publication of the Inquiry report, my thoughts are with the 72 people who died, their loved ones, those who lost their homes and the many people living in the local community and beyond who were affected by the fire.

 

Seven years on, London boroughs’ commitment to ensuring this never happens again remains unchanged. The publication of the phase 2 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is an important step towards this. It must serve as a catalyst for action. The report's findings are damning and make clear how residents were let down by a broken system that failed at every level, with fatal consequences. Boroughs will be reading this report closely to ensure that we understand its findings in full and take action in response to its recommendations.

 

Every Londoner has the right to be safe and feel safe in their home. Since the fire, London boroughs have continued working to improve building safety and overall housing standards for people living in high-rise accommodation, but we know there is so much more to do and progress has been far too slow. It’s vital that we drive forward the change we need to see, in partnership with our residents and national government, to ensure this clearly avoidable tragedy is never repeated.

The Grenfell Inquiry’s final report has laid out a comprehensive roadmap for reform across the built environment. While many in the industry, including Arita Morris and Mellor, support the proposed changes, there is a general understanding that implementing these recommendations will be a complex and lengthy process. The changes touch on every aspect of building safety, from fire risk assessments to contractor licensing, and require an unprecedented level of coordination between government, industry, and regulatory bodies.

 

For local authorities, like those represented by Cllr Claire Holland, the report reinforces the need for immediate and sustained action. It is clear that the lessons of Grenfell must not be forgotten, and only by enacting these sweeping reforms can the built environment ensure that a tragedy of this scale is never repeated.

 

As the full report is studied in the coming months, it is likely that further reflections and challenges will emerge. However, what remains indisputable is the need for lasting change across the built environment to ensure the safety and security of residents, particularly those living in high-risk buildings. The Grenfell Inquiry has set the stage for this change.