1 HIGHER RISK BUILDINGS

October 2023 and April 2024 will see the introduction of the biggest changes in a generation to the building regulatory system in England, particularly for buildings now referred to as Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs)

A Higher Risk Building is any building with 7 storeys or more or 18m in height that contains two or more residential units. The definition covers flats, hospitals and student accommodation, but not hotels.

The Building Safety Act 2022 established a new body – the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to oversee the design and construction of all HRBs. From October 2023, the BSR will become the only Building Control Authority for HRBs, and developers must apply to the BSR before starting work on any HRB

The Building Safety Act has also introduced the concept of Duty Holders: Clients, Designers, Contractors, Principal Designers and Principal Contractors, who will have clearly defined responsibilities during the Design and Construction phase.

The Building Safety Regulator will require submissions to be made at planning, construction and completion stages – known as Gateways 1, 2 and 3 – each submission demonstrating compliance with all relevant legislation, guidance and Building Regulations.

At Quadrant Building Control, we have given Building Regulations approval to over 60,000 construction projects since 2007 and have an enviable reputation for professional integrity and technical excellence.

We are therefore ideally qualified to offer Consultancy Services to help Clients, Principal Designers and Principal Contractors successfully navigate all the challenges of the new system. Our flexible and tailored approach gives you the help where and when you most need it. Gateways two and three are stop/go decision points that must be passed before a development can proceed to the next stage. The BSR has 12 weeks to review submissions, so rejection at either of these stages could cause significant delay. We’ll help you get things right first time.

GATEWAYS

Quadrant Building Control Consultancy Services

RIBA STAGES

PLANNING GATEWAY 1

Planning Application

GATEWAY 2

Before building starts

GATEWAY 3

When building work is completed

• Review designs

• Review and check Fire Safety Statement

0-3

• Strategic Definition

• Preparation & Brief

• Concept Design

• Spatial Coordination Design

• Attend design meetings

• Technical reviews

• Assist with preparation of statements required for submission

3-4

• Spatial Coordination Design

• Technical Design

• Inspection and monitoring of works

• Review major and minor changes for BRegs compliance

• Completion check for application

5-6

• Manufacturing & Construction

• Handover

There are Transitional Provisions in place for Building Control applications made before 1st October 2023 and where work on site commences before 1st April 2024. However, meaningful works, possibly to DPC level, are likely to be required. Call us on 0345 5572777 for advice on this and all other HRB issues.

Government consultations are ongoing, working out details of the new regime in practice. We’ll keep you posted in our Building Regulations newsletter: www.quadrantai.co.uk/newsletters

We’ll also be releasing videos explaining the Building Safety Regulator in more detail on our YouTube channel – join a thousand other subscribers to get notified of our latest technical videos: youtube.com/QuadrantBuildingControl