The government is expected to announce later today that combustible cladding products of the kind used on Grenfell Tower will no longer be allowed under the Building Regulations.
Secretary of state for housing, communities and local government James Brokenshire is reported to be preparing to make the announcement at the Conservative party conference.
Plastics, wood and products that include combustible materials such as aluminium composite material (ACM) panels will be banned in the external wall systems used in residential buildings more than 18 metres tall.
The only materials that will be allowed are those classed as A1 or A2, including metal, stone and glass, or plasterboard.
The change will mean that the use of many insulation materials such as types of phenolic foam and polyisocyanurate foam will be banned.
The ban will extend to hospitals, schools and care homes and will affect the construction of more than 1,000 buildings a year, a Whitehall source told the Guardian.
Brokenshire is expected to say: “I will change the building regulations to ban the use of combustible cladding for all high-rise residential buildings, hospitals, care homes and student accommodation, and bring about a change in culture on building safety.”
The news came as survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people, prepare to give evidence to the public inquiry into the disaster for the first time, starting on Wednesday this week.
