Building control approval for higher-risk building work
BSR became the Building Control Authority for all higher-risk buildings (HRBs) in England in October 2023.
Developers need to apply to BSR for building control approval for all new building work in-scope of the higher-risk regime. This work can no longer be overseen by local authority or private sector building control.
Anyone applying to BSR for building control approval needs to ensure that their applications clearly and comprehensively demonstrate compliance with building regulations.
High-quality applications help BSR make informed decisions quickly, reducing the risk of misinterpretation and ensure all building control standards are met.
Applicants should clearly identify every aspect of the project that requires compliance with building regulations. This ensures no detail is overlooked and each aspect of the HRB is accounted for in the compliance documentation.
BSR needs a direct line of sight between the identified aspects and the building regulations so it’s very important that applicants clarify the exact standards, codes, or documents each aspect of the HRB complies with.
It’s not enough to list compliance; applications need to explain why these standards were chosen and how they apply to the project. This will ensure BSR can easily verify compliance and the building control application will not require further interpretation.
As the regulator BSR will not tell you how to comply with the requirements of the building regulations or provide pre-application advice on building control applications. However, for some complex projects we may provide advice on the best way of staging your application. For example with multi-building projects. If you need advice on the buildings regulations it should be sought from competent professionals.
Applications which lack the required detailed information or fail to demonstrate clear compliance will be rejected so it is crucial that developers provide quality, detailed and complete applications.