There are various calls for a cessation of deregulation following the Grenfell Tower fire but I can't really see that any removal of regulations caused this.
Anybody who remember foam polystyrene ceiling tiles and fires that occurred when they were used in kitchens would realise that it is not a good idea to place a similar material on the outside of high rise buildings where there is a chimney effect. It is inexplicable to continue to do so when there is evidence from fires at the Lacrosse building in Melbourne in 2014 and the Lakanal fire in Lambeth in 2009, both of which had the same type of cladding and caused multiple deaths.
There seems to be some confusion about what the standards and regulations are, and that may be the root cause of the problem. If people slavishly follow the regulations without assessing the possible outcome and making appropriate choices, then such tragedies occur.
The Ronan Point building collapse changed the way tower blocks were built. The cause of that was the method of building similar to a house of cards. Hopefully, Grenfell Tower will change the fire standards with tower blocks as well.
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