Approved Document K has not had a substantial review in more than 20 years
Approved Document K has not had a substantial review in more than 20 years. The Building Safety Regulator now wants to know where it is unclear.
On 19 October the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) opened a call for evidence on Part K of the Building Regulations and its guidance, Approved Document K. Part K protects people from falling, collision and impact: stairs, ladders, ramps, handrails, guarding, windows, doors, glazing and vehicle barriers.
It is not a consultation on new rules. The BSR says it is not proposing policy changes, and the current requirements and guidance stay in place during the review. It is gathering evidence to decide what to work on first, and it lists architects and designers among the people it wants to hear from.
Designers are the ones who turn this guidance into drawings, so here is what I would put in a response. All four points come from the current 2013 edition.
- Say what "readily climb" means. Paragraphs 1.39 and 3.3 ask for guarding that children under five cannot readily climb, in buildings they may use. The only practical help given is "avoid horizontal rails". Perforated panels, decorative infill and walls with ledges are left to judgement, case by case.
The BSR says it is not proposing policy changes, and the current requirements and guidance stay in place during the review.
- Give a dwelling stair a width. For buildings other than dwellings, paragraph 1.15 sets a minimum of 1200mm. For dwellings, the only width in Section 1 is 900mm in paragraph 1.16, and that applies only to stairs within the entrance storey on severely sloping plots.
- Put glass that acts as guarding in one place. Diagram 3.1 sets guarding heights, including for glazing. Section 5 deals with impact and safe breakage. Paragraph 3.2 points to BS 6180 for barriers and infill panels. A glass balustrade needs all three.
- Update the cross-references. Paragraphs 0.6, 1.42 and 3.4 still refer to the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, which CDM 2015 replaced.
How to respond: the call closes on 28 December 2026. The online survey takes 10 to 45 minutes, and questions outside your experience can be skipped. The BSR asks for evidence, examples and case studies where possible, and for each answer to be complete in itself, without "see above".
What would you tell the BSR about Part K?
Links in the first comment.
