Building Safety Bill Becomes Law

Posted by Premier Guarantee on 27th June 2022 -

The Building Safety Bill has become law and the process for building structures at least 18 metres or seven storeys tall in England is about to undergo a complete overhaul.

The process of change began when one of the Bill’s project “Gateways” was incorporated into planning legislation in August 2021. But there is so much more to come.

We have updated the Government’s official Building Safety Bill timeline to highlight all the key dates of changes expected to be introduced through the new law. While many details are still to be determined, this blog takes a closer look at what we do know about the new construction Gateways.

Countdown is on for the new building Gateways

When the Building Safety Bill gained Royal Assent on 28^th April 2022, the clock started ticking on a huge programme of change. The scope of the Bill includes extra duties of care for building owners and operators, extra rights for residents, greater powers of enforcement and a raft of new regulations covering architects, building control functions and construction products.

Our downloadable presentation includes a timeline with expected dates for all the major changes. This timeline will be subject to change so keep checking back for the latest, or subscribe to our blog.

We also summarise key points regarding the three construction Gateways.

View our Building Safety Bill Timelines and Gateways update 

Gateway 1

Gateway 1 was introduced through planning legislation in August 2021.

For all higher risk / in-scope buildings, planning applications must include a fire statement to “support the consideration of information on fire safety matters as they relate to land use planning matters”. The statement is not mandatory for outline planning applications. In addition, the planning authority must consult with the Building Safety Regulator, which now sits with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Gateway 2

The Government intends that both Gateways 2 and 3 are introduced by October 2023.

Gateway 2 will replace the building control deposit plans stage for relevant buildings and will act as a stop/go point.

Building control approval will be obtained through the Building Safety Regulator and information covering duty holder competence, ”Golden Thread” data and strategies to minimise risk during construction must be submitted.

Gateway 3

Gateway 3 marks the completion/final certificate stage once relevant building work in complete.

This will act as another stop/go point, contingent on further approval from and registration with the Building Safety Regulator. It will become an offence for buildings to be occupied without registration.

Plans and documents that reflect the “as-built” building must be submitted as part of the ”Golden Thread” of information, so that they can be passed to the building owners or operators.

Keep up to date with the latest Building Safety Bill news

Premier Guarantee’s building control team continues to engage with the new Building Safety Regulator, the HSE. It remains early days in the process but we know that many significant changes are coming, of which the construction Gateways are only one part.

We will report on Building Safety Bill news as it comes and you can subscribe to receive email updates via our blog.

 

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Every care was taken to ensure the information in this article was correct at the time of publication (June 2022). Guidance provided does not replace the reader’s professional judgement and any construction project should comply with the relevant Building Regulations or applicable technical standards. For the most up to date Premier Guarantee technical guidance please refer to your Risk Management Surveyor and the latest version of the Premier Guarantee Technical Manual.

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