The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published an Advisory Note on BS 9991:2024 – Fire safety in the design, management and use of residential buildings. Code of Practice. The note was developed in conjunction with the Building Safety Regulator, British Standards Institution, National Fire Chiefs Council and Local Authority Building Control.
This advisory note has been developed for those seeking to understand how to prepare or assess building control approval applications (BCAA) for higher-risk buildings (HRBs), where an update to existing technical industry guidance has been issued by the publishing body.
In summary, when adopting recommendations made within BS 9991:
- Planning applications made from the date of publication of this advisory note, intending to adopt the recommendations made within BS 9991, should do so using the relevant recommendations made within BS 9991:2024.
- Building control applications made at Gateway 2 where the scheme has previously progressed a design using BS 9991:2015, prior to the publication of BS 9991:2024, are required to clearly state how the building work remains compliant to Part B of Schedule One of the Building Regulations and why. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate that relevant recommendations from BS 9991:2024 have been assessed and adopted where reasonably practicable to do so.
- From 30th Sept 2026 BCAA at Gateway 2 that have adopted the recommendations made within BS 9991 should use BS 9991:2024 if intending to adopt the recommendations made within this British Standard.
The Advisory Note should be read in conjunction with a letter to the CLC from the BSR. The letter sets out the approach of the Regulator to BS 9991:2024 in its role as a building control authority for HRBs in England.
To be clear the BSR does not expect schemes sufficiently progressed in design, currently under construction or sufficiently progressed on site having to undertake a fundamental redesign on the basis of the updated publication and inclusion of additional measures.
The CLC Advisory Note and BSR letter provide the current position following the publication of BS 9991:2024 and supersedes any previous advice.
