Government body highlights “significant issues” with Building Safety Regulator
The government’s major projects body has raised “significant issues” with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), just over two months before the watchdog takes on its full responsibilities.
In its annual report for 2022-23, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) gave the BSR an ‘amber’ rating, stating: “Successful delivery appears feasible but significant issues already exist, requiring management attention.”
It added that the issues “appear resolvable” but need to be addressed promptly, but added no further details in the report.
The BSR, a role which has been taken on by the HSE, will lead the new regulatory regime of tall buildings from 1 October.
The BSR will have three main functions:
- Overseeing the safety and standards of all buildings.
- Helping and encouraging the built environment industry and building control professionals to improve their competence.
- Leading implementation of the new regulatory framework for high-rise buildings.
The HSE is preparing to carry out these functions.
The BSR will regulate high-rise buildings. These are buildings with seven or more storeys or that are 18 metres or higher, and either:
- Have at least two residential units; or
- Are hospitals or care homes (during design and construction).
The new framework
The building safety reforms introduce a new regulatory framework for high-rise buildings. These include:
- HSE is a statutory consultee for planning applications.
- BSR will become the building control authority for high-rise buildings.
- Decision points during design and construction.
- Giving dutyholders clear accountability and statutory responsibilities as buildings are designed, built, refurbished and occupied.
- A golden thread of building information - identified, stored and updated throughout the building's life cycle.
- Mandatory reporting of prescribed fire and structural safety occurrences to BSR.
There will also be registers of:
- Occupied high-rise buildings.
- Building inspectors and building control approvers.
Also coming into force from October 2023:
- Registration deadline for existing occupied buildings. From now on all new buildings must be registered before being occupied.
- Building inspector and building control approver registers open.
- BSR becomes the new building control authority for high-rise residential buildings.
- From 1st October 2023 developers must apply to BSR for building control approval before commencing work on any high-rise residential building.
More information is available on the HSE website.
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