UK government appoints six members to its Fundamental Review of Buildings Regulations Guidance Panel

On 31 July, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) within UK government established its Fundamental Review of Buildings Regulations Guidance Panel, with the remit of supporting work “to deliver on the recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry Phase 2 report, accepted by the government, to review the statutory guidance which accompany the Building Regulations known as Approved Documents.”

The Guidance Panel has announced the following six appointees to its ranks:

Dr Hywel Davies, Technical Expert

Hywel, CABE’s Head of Technical Insight, is the former technical Director for the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). He served as the previous chair of DLUHC’s statutory committee, the Building Regulations Advisory Committee. He brings to this panel his broad expertise on a range of technical areas.

Dinah Bornat, Architect

Dinah is a renowned advocate for people-centred development. She is the Director & Co-founder of ZCD, a research-led practice based in London who work on residential, community and commercial projects. She has served as a design advocate for the Mayor of London and an adviser to local authorities and developers.

Dan Rossiter, Digital Expert

Dan is the Built Environment Sector Lead at the British Standards Institute, and Vice-President Technical at the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists. He has previously provided his expertise to several national committees relating to information management and technical documentation in the built environment.

Danielle Michalska-Morris, Housebuilder

Danielle is the Director of Research and Technical Innovation at Taylor Wimpey. She brings to the panel her expert knowledge and experience in low carbon building design and building services.

Rachel Ferguson, Planner

Rachel is Senior Development Manager at Pocket Living. She has extensive expertise in affordable housing, and brings her broad experience in planning including strategic masterplans, estate regeneration projects and new build residentials to this panel.

Professor Luke Bisby, Technical Expert

Luke is the Chair of Fire and Structures and Director of Discipline at the University of Edinburgh. He served as an expert witness to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and will bring particular expertise on fire safety to this panel.

Minister for Building Safety, Alex Norris said: “The appointment of this panel is an important step in our response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Guidance which supports compliance with Building Regulations must be clear, accurate, and practical, and subject to regular updates to ensure it remains effective. 

“The work of the panel will support our delivery of 1.5 million new homes, by making compliance easier, improving safety and quality in construction, and ensuring greater confidence in the building safety system. I look forward to receiving the panel’s recommendations.”

The Guidance Panel is expected to deliver an interim update to government in early 2026 and their final report is provisionally expected in summer 2026.

Read the MHCLG’s new story on this via the UK government website here.