Video transcript: BSR Story 2023
Reflecting on 12 Months of Progress at the Building Safety Regulator
Looking back at what we have done in 2023…
As the Building Safety Regulator in England, our remit is to:
- regulate high-rise buildings
- raise safety standards of all buildings
- help professionals in design, construction, and building control, to improve their competence
We have made significant strides in the past year. We have established a new strict building safety regime, which places the safety of residents at its heart.
BSR has focused on instigating a crucial shift in culture and behaviours in the built environment industry.
In March 2023, we hosted the inaugural BSR Conference. The event brought together key stakeholders from across the built environment. This included developers, contractors, architects, and residents.
Over 900 industry delegates participated in our engaging dialogues and seminars exploring the new regime to improve building safety standards.
April marked a pivotal moment, as BSR started its work by switching on the first service, with the registration of high-rise residential buildings in England.
The regulator launched the online service for registering high-rise residential buildings on April 11th. It required HRB property owners and those responsible for managing the building’s safety to register their buildings and provide essential safety and building information about them.
To promote stakeholder understanding about their new legal responsibilities, we introduced the ‘Making Buildings Safer’ campaign.
In Autumn, the BSR’s regulatory programme entered a significant phase. The government published the secondary legislation for higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act.
BSR became the building control authority for the design and construction of HRBs in England. This means we will assess applications for HRBs, and building work cannot start until we have given approval.
From October 1st, HRBs registration became mandatory. Also in October, we opened the registers for building control inspectors and approvers ahead of registration becoming mandatory in April 2024.
The year ended with BSR unveiling its 3-year Strategic Plan. We also introduced our enforcement approach – emphasising a vision for a high-quality, safe built environment.
Philip White’s permanent appointment as the Director of Building Safety marked a successful closure to the year.
Our Future Plans
What we are doing in 2024 …
Looking ahead to 2024, a transformative phase awaits the built environment industry.
Our evidence-based guidance updates and insights will support stakeholders in complying with their legal requirements – and will also foster a much-needed cultural shift.
April 2024 is a crucial point in our timeline.
Building control inspectors and approvers must register. Operational standard rules will be enforceable, and Accountable Persons must apply for a building assessment certificate for their HRBs when invited by BSR.
We remain committed to overseeing and driving the stringent regulatory regime for higher-risk residential buildings.
And we are steadfast in our remit to bring about lasting systematic change, so that residents can feel safe and be safe in their homes.