Building Safety Hub
Supporting building and fire safety excellence in tall residential buildings in England
Latest
-
Delays to high-rise developments could ease soon following a government announcement today (Monday 30 June 2025), on the future of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).
A new arm’s length body to MHCLG is being established with plans for it to assume the functions of the BSR from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in due course.
The new reforms include the introduction of a Fast Track Process, leadership changes, and additional investment - aim to support the delivery of 1.5 million safe, high-quality homes. They also mark early steps toward the creation of a single construction regulator - a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
The new organisational structure reinforces the government’s commitment to prioritising building safety and builds on the strong foundation laid by the HSE in establishing the BSR, which has played a pivotal role in raising safety standards across the sector.
Andy Roe KFSM, has been appointed as non-executive Chair of the new MHCLG board, which will lead this work as part of the regulator’s transition.
Andrew Bulmer, CEO of The Property Institute, commented:
“TPI has received notice from Philip White, the Building Safety Regulator, that the BSR functions are to be transferred from the Health and Safety Executive to MHCLG itself, promising resources to tackle delays.
The implications of this are yet to be fully understood. More resource to handle cases would certainly be welcome, and the statement suggests that this will happen, as well as an intention to change some of the processes and/or approach to casework – we will see in due course.
The announcement suggests this is the natural next step now the BSR has been established and cautions that nothing much will happen for the next few months. A question then is whether the transfer of functions will simply bring in a new resource to make the boat go faster, or change the philosophical approach around safety, which will mean our profession and the specialists that support it will need to adjust what they do. We are asking these questions and will keep you posted.”
To read the full announcement, CLICK HERE
-
Following the initial statement issued on 18 October 2024, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has carefully considered the views expressed by the Tribunal in the First-Tier Tribunal decision dated 03 July 2024.
The department recognises the need for greater clarity within the legislation. We are consulting the Building Safety Regulator and other relevant stakeholders on a proposal to amend the Higher-Risk Buildings (Descriptions and Supplementary Provisions) Regulations 2023.The aim is to clarify that roof gardens are not considered storeys when determining whether a building is a higher-risk building under section 120D of the Building Act 1984 and section 65 of the Building Safety Act 2022.
In the meantime, the department’s view remains that roof gardens are not storeys for these purposes. This is the basis for current government guidance, which the sector and regulatory bodies should continue to refer to.Click here to check the criteria for higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act.
- Building Safety Act
- Legislation, Regulations & Guidance
-
Today, Thursday 24 April, UK Finance has published an update to the current lender statement on cladding. This update covers:
- Reliance in the mortgage journey on EWS1 forms more than five years old; and
- The scenario of an EWS1 form in the mortgage journey by an invalid signatory
Leaseholders and prospective buyers will now have more clarity on purchasing homes with building safety issues, following a key update from mortgage lenders and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) regarding EWS1 forms.
To read the UK Finance lender statement update in full CLICK HERE
-
The HSE has made some improvements to its guidance for building control approval for higher-risk buildings.
- Building control approval for higher-risk buildings
- Preparing information for a building control approval application
- Making changes to a higher-risk building project
- Applying for a completion certificate
After listening to the experiences of people using the guidance, the updates will better support the needs of those preparing to, or applying for, building control approval from BSR.
- Building Safety Regulator
-
Machinery of Government – UK Parliament
In response to one of the recommendations from the Grenfell Phase 2 Inquiry report the Prime Minister confirmed that responsibility for fire will move from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
This change will bring responsibility for building safety and fire under a single Secretary of State, providing for a more coherent approach to keeping people safe from fire in their homes.