Welcome to our newsletter, providing information on the changes in legislation made with effect from 1 October 2023. We appreciate there will be new challenges in the coming weeks and months and the team at Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Building Control available to offer help and advice with any issues you may experience..
The Building Safety Act: secondary legislation
Amendments to The Building Regulations 2010 have been made which came into force from 1 October 2023.
It is appreciated that the interpretation of the legislation can take some reading but we will attempt to highlight some key changes as follows.
Applications to the Building Safety Regulator
Building Regulation applications for Higher-Risk Buildings (HRB) must now be made to the BSR who are the Building Control Authority for works relating to:
- A residential building (two or more residential units) with a floor that is 18m or above ground level or at least seven storeys.
- Hospitals or care homes with a floor that is 18m or above ground level or at least seven storeys.
Dutyholder(s) roles and responsibilities
Changes to the legislation now introduces the role of the Dutyholder(s) and competency requirements for those parties involved to all building works (not just HRB). Client responsibilities for compliance will require them to ensure suitable arrangements are in place for the planning, managing and monitoring of the works being undertaken to meet the regulations.
A declaration of completion form has been included with this newsletter which will need to be submitted as part of the process to enable a completion certificate to be issued.
We have also produced / attached an A4 guide titled ‘Notification of changes to the Building Regulations’ which provides further guidance as to the requirements (Part 2A) as set out in the legislation which can be read on the link shown above.
Application for building control
Works other than those described above can still be made to building control however in light of the changes, additional information is now required. A revised application form has been attached as part of this overall pack.
- Applicant, client, agents and builders details required (and will link in with the declaration of completion form).
- The time period to issue an approval for Full Plan submission has been amended.
- The definition of commencement of works has been included (and will link with planning / transition periods). Please note – notification of inspections will not change i.e start on date, foundation inspections etc.
- Applications made by an agent, builder etc must also be signed by the client.
As always, the team are here to help so please do not hesitate to contact us for further assistance/guidance.
You can also download this newsletter as a PDF.