Building Safety Update

Philip White, Chief Inspector of Buildings and Director of Building Safety at the HSE, has published a letter on the use of BS 9991 in relation to applications for Building Control Approval, which is supported by an advisory note from the CLC. They confirm the position set out by Build UK back in January and include the following transitional dates:

• Planning applications made from the date of publication of the CLC advisory note on 17 March 2025 should use BS 9991:2024
• Gateway Two applications where a project has previously progressed a design using BS 9991:2015 are required to state how and why the building work remains compliant with the Building Regulations
• From 30 September 2026, Gateway Two applications should use BS 9991:2024.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has pledged to clear the backlog of applications submitted up to July 2024 by the end of this financial year, and is committed to working with industry to improve the process and provide more feedback to applicants. On a recent call with the industry It highlighted the importance of the description of the work included within applications which serves as a ‘project summary’.