Making sure your building meets regulations is imperative. Not only does this ensure you meet all legal requirements, but it also keeps the safety and standards of your projects and buildings kept at a high level.
In this article we’ll discuss what building regulations in the UK cover, who the regulatory bodies are, and what changes were made to the Building Safety Act (BSA) in 2023.
What are Building Regulations in the UK?
To make sure buildings are designed and constructed to an appropriate standard and to demonstrate that property, assets, and people are protected, there are a number of different building regulations and regulatory bodies in the UK.
Plumbing, energy efficiency through building elements like insulation, fire safety, and more, all have their own specific regulations which determine how construction and implementation of them must be carried out.
Making sure your Designers are certified to provide services in line with government and authority regulations is important in obeying the law and complying with building standards.
We can provide Fire Safety and Building Regulation Consultancy, find out more here.
Different Regulatory Bodies in the UK
To understand where building regulations come from and what kind of things that approved inspectors look for when ensuring the certifications of your specifiers are up to standards, it is important to know who the different regulatory bodies in the UK are and what they cover.
The four we will cover are the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC) the Regulator for Social Housing, and the Planning Inspectorate.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
The Health and Safety Executive – or HSE – are the overseeing body of the UK’s Building Safety Regulator (BSR) named under the Building Safety Act (BSA). Regulations created under this new body came into play from October 1, 2023.
They regulate higher-risk buildings, setting out the framework that builders, specifiers, and architects have to follow. The framework includes:
- HSE acting as a statutory consultee on the BSA
- Decision points for design and construction
- Action, accountabilities, and statutory responsibilities for dutyholders
The Building Safety Regulator oversees three main bodies: the Residents’ Panel, the Industry Competence Committee, and the Building Advisory Committee. These three committees oversee specific aspects of the BSA, such as the Residents’ Panel ensuring a diverse selection of high-rise residents is included in the decision making and regulatory processes.
Also under the HSE comes the responsibility to ensure a buildings’ information is adequately stored and maintained. This is a requirement under the Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022.
Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC)
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC) is the replacement for the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
The work of the DLUHC involves investing in local areas, driving growth, creating jobs, and delivering homes. To this end, they advise and support government ministers on the implications and effectiveness of proposed new policies.
Their responsibilities in this regard are broken down into five main categories:
- Strategy
- Commercial sense
- Talented people
- Results focus
- Management information
However, the primary goal of the DLUHC is to improve the performance of the investments and activities it delivers.
Regulator of Social Housing
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is a public body who regulates privately registered providers of social housing. Their role and objectives are based on guidelines from the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008.
The RSH seek to provide low-cost rentals and low-cost housing, as guided by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. To accomplish this, they undertake economic-focused actions, consumer-focused actions, and a broad range of other measures to ensure their eligibility criteria are met.
Planning Inspectorate
The Planning Inspectorate deals with planning on a national scale such as planning appeals, local plans, specialist casework, and national infrastructure. It is an executive agency, sponsored by the DLUHC.
The expertise of the Planning Inspectorate is then shared with customers, communities, businesses like contractors and building controllers, and governments at a local and national scale. They utilise this expertise to enhance the outcomes of the projects they’re involved in.
Changes to the Building Regulations 2023
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is a new body within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as part of the October 1 Building Safety Act (BSA) amends amendments.
The BSR oversees aspects of building safety including Building Regulations and Building Control. New legal procedures are in place under this regulatory body to give responsibilities to clients, designers, and contractors.
Approved Inspectors – already licensed under the Construction Industry Council Approved Inspector Register (CICAIR) under the Building Act 1984 – will now become Registered Building Control Approvers (RBCA) under this new system.
For more advice on Building Regulations, contact our Building Regulation Consultancy service here.
