Changes to requirements

At the end of 2022, a second consultation was opened on the Building Safety Levy as part of the Building Safety Act (BSA), which if passed will mean a levy will need to be paid by the developers of any residential building that requires building control approval, not just buildings of over a certain height.

In order to move on to the next build stage – construction – the developer will need to pay the levy at the Gateway 2 stage (there will be 3 ‘Gateways’ under the BSA) and ensure that the project design meets the requirements of building regulations.

The introduction of ‘gateways’ has the potential to slow down a project – for instance, if the resource isn’t available to carry out the inspections, or if remedial actions are needed, but there can surely be no question that putting these steps in place is the right course of action and will ensure that the right people are doing the right jobs.

Cost concerns

Concerns have been expressed within the construction community that the new controls will impede building development and increase costs, both for developers and potentially consumers.

However, as the Grenfell Tower tragedy has shown, better building safety legislation is long overdue and should be welcomed for the security it will provide to residents.

We’ve looked at the new legislation in more detail below…

What does the Building Safety Act (BSA) entail?

The BSA requires more stringent safety provisions and will transform how residential properties are constructed for generations. It is a retrospective law that imposes new, tougher safety rules on developments over 18 metres high or with at least seven storeys. The construction sector is now gearing up for the new regulations and taking action to comply with them.

There are three stages or ‘gateways’:

Gateway 1

This stage is already in place and requires the submission of a Fire Statement along with the Planning Application for proposed residential buildings.

Gateway 2

Building safety clearance is granted by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). Details must be submitted on the developer’s capabilities, ‘Golden Thread’ information, and policies to mitigate risk during construction. Development can be halted if the BSR believes there’s any safety compromise.

Gateway 3

This stage will serve as a further stop/go check, requiring additional consent from and registration with the BSR. It will be an offence to occupy premises that have not been registered.

As part of the ‘golden thread’ of information, drawings and plans that accurately depict the finished structure must be presented for transfer to the owners, that way there will always be details on the building’s design and safety features.

Will these processes hinder build time?

At Eden Facades, we believe that the new processes should not necessarily lead to delays in delivering construction projects. The government has also made a commitment that the new ‘hard stop’ gateways process should not slow down build plans.

The information gathered at each gateway, and through the golden thread, will help buildings to be kept safe both now and in the future and will be one of the most important changes to building safety law in a generation.

Make time for safety

Ultimately, we simply don’t know how the sector will deal with the new law, but we do know that the only thing we can do is prepare to work within this legislation efficiently.

We’ve trained our teams on these new building safety changes so they can hit the ground running. We’ve studied the in-coming regulations and have learned how to work with, not despite, the new legislation for successful facade solutions.

At Eden Facades we welcome this new safety legislation and look forward to a time when all jobs are done right, first time.

Are you looking for a facade solutions expert, delivering high quality work that never compromises on safety? Contact Eden Facades today to discuss how we can give you a bespoke design or remediation solution.