The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has published draft guidance on how housing providers can prepare for wildfire risks, inviting feedback before finalising it in the autumn.
Wildfires already pose a significant threat to homes and communities across the UK. The 2018 Saddleworth Moor fire led to evacuations in parts of Greater Manchester, while in 2022 several homes were destroyed in Wennington, East London, during the worst heatwave on record.
The Saddleworth fire also raised levels of dangerous particulates across the North West of England, with serious public health consequences.
With climate change expected to increase the frequency and severity of wildfires, CIH says housing providers need to understand the risks and take preventative action.
Dr Matthew Scott, CIH policy manager, said: “Housing professionals are increasingly aware of the risks posed to existing homes and communities by climate change, especially flooding and overheating. However, wildfire risk has not received the same attention in the sector so far.
“According to the Climate Change Committee, the wildfire season is not only becoming longer as a result of climate change, but the number of summer days with conditions highly favourable for wildfires is also increasing. We hope by publishing this draft guidance we can support housing professionals and the organisations they work for to work in partnership with others to protect their existing communities from this growing risk.”
The draft guidance draws on existing good practice from organisations including the National Fire Chiefs Council and the Forestry Commission, and has been informed by expert members of the England and Wales Wildfire Forum.
The publication also comes as the government prepares to finalise its revised National Planning Policy Framework. The draft NPPF, consulted on between December 2025 and March 2026, proposes to include explicit reference to wildfires in a revised policy on climate change adaptation.
Scott added: “Our intention with this guidance was not to produce anything new, but to consolidate existing good practice into a format and structure that we hope is simple and easy for housing professionals to access, understand, and begin to implement.
“However, we know this is a new area for many housing professionals, and we therefore strongly welcome any feedback on the content and useability of the guidance before we finalise it later this year. We also invite feedback from any other interested stakeholders, such as professionals and organisations involved in resilience, emergency planning, or land management.”
Kevin Garvey, head of member relations at the National Housing Federation, said: “This draft guidance is a valuable resource for housing associations and their staff as they seek to protect homes and residents from their devastating impacts, and we encourage them to share any feedback with CIH.”
Main image: Aerial view of smoke and flames from a large grassfire on Llangynidr Moors, Wales, 2022. Credit: Richard Whitcombe/Shutterstock
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