Issued: 1 March 2023

This ebulletin is for anyone who wants to keep up to date on the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) being established within HSE.

Please share this ebulletin with others who may find the information useful, they can subscribe at this link.

Find out more about the building safety reforms.

This week we launched the first phase of our building safety campaign and its new website.

The campaign aims to help and encourage everyone affected by changes to building safety law to:

• be ready – understand what is coming and how to prepare
• step up – take ownership and manage risks
• act now – comply with new law

The campaign’s first focus is on being ready for high-rise building registration, the first operational function of the BSR to come into force under the Building Safety Act, 2022. The registration process is a crucial stage in setting up the new building safety regime and registering buildings in scope will be a legal requirement.

As registration will open in April, we’re encouraging people who own or manage high-residential buildings to be ready and prepare now.

Sign up to our high-rise building registration mailing list and we can let you know when it’s time to register and provide helpful information.

The building safety campaign website will grow to provide a helpful destination point, providing simple, digestible information and resources to help everyone prepare for their new duties and understand the different functions of the BSR as they come online.

Find out more in our building safety campaign press release.

The new Residents’ Panel met for the first time at the end of January 2023.

The panel was established under the Building Safety Act, 2022 to advise and inform the BSR in its important mission to ensure the safety of residents in high-rise buildings. The future-focused work of the panel is key to the delivery of the new building regime.

Members were recruited during a robust and objective recruitment process to make sure the panel represents the diverse make-up of high-rise building residents. This is in terms of housing type - and also demographics such as location, gender, age, and disability.

The Residents’ Panel will also be supported by representatives from 4 resident-focused organisations, as well as landlords - who will bring their combined experience to the table. 

At their first meeting, panel members reviewed and discussed BSR’s draft Strategic Plan.

Peter Baker, HSE Chief Inspector of Buildings, said: 

“High rise buildings are many and varied, and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring together a Residents’ Panel made up of residents with a broad range of lived experience from many locations across the country, and housing types – including social housing, the private rented sector and leaseholders.

The panel members will be providing crucial and valuable insights into the challenges that residents face - particularly in higher risk buildings, so that we can design and deliver our activities in a way that meets resident’s needs, builds trust and puts residents at the heart of the system.”

Find out more about the Residents' Panel.

There’s still time to have your say on proposed changes to the building control process for approved inspectors (in future to be known as registered building control approvers).

This consultation, led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), is open for comment until 14 March.

It sets out the detailed requirements needed to implement the changes brought about by the Building Safety Act 2022 and seeks views on:

• approved inspectors becoming registered building control approvers, and implications for their existing work
• restriction of activities and functions for building control bodies, both public and private
• length of registrations period for building control approvers and building inspectors
• oversight, sanctions and appeals
• initial notices
• plans certificates
• information gathering
• consultations with other regulators

Consultation: Changes to the building control profession and the building control process for approved inspectors