Chief Inspector of Buildings Philip White has published an article on the role of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) as the Building Control Authority for Higher‐Risk Buildings (HRBs), which acknowledges the delays with applications at Gateway Two and reveals around 70% are being rejected “because they don’t meet the legal requirements”.
The BSR has identified a number of reasons why applications are being rejected, listed below, and it has published a case study to reinforce its role in ensuring that an HRB complies with Building Regulations and is safe to occupy. According to the BSR, 44% of applications are still being rejected at the validation stage “because they are missing basic information”.
The BSR has also updated the online portal for submitting and managing applications for Building Control Approval. For applications submitted after 1 April 2025, applicants can now create folders for their applications and supporting documents to help the BSR when assessing them.
Common issues found in applications
Structure (Part A)
No information or details on:
- How the building has been designed to prevent collapse
- How the foundations will support the building
- How the stairs, balconies, handrails and other fixtures will be supported
- How building materials (concrete and structural steel) were capable of supporting any loads required by a building
- No rationale on how the building parts are tied together to prevent it from collapsing
Fire (Part B)
Risks identified:
- The smoke-extracting design risks pulling smoke from the source of a fire (in a flat)
- into the evacuation stairs. Applicant's own smoke analysis shows smoke will be pulled into the lobby 'safe area'
- No assurance that the wall will be built to required fire resistance
- No details of required fire barriers in the external (cladding) to prevent a fire spread externally
- Some corridors not wide enough to allow total evacuation if recommended by the fire service
- No smoke detectors provided in the flats, only one heat detector in kitchen