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Building a safer future: proposals for reform of the building safety regulatory system

  • This consultation sought views on the Government's proposals for a radically new building and fire safety system.

    Objectives of the consultation

    This consultation followed on from the Government’s Implementation Plan Building a Safer Future, published in December 2018, which committed the Government to ensuring that high-rise residential buildings are safe to live in.

    The consultation built on the recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and proposed fundamental reform of building safety requirements so that residents are safe, and feel safe, in their homes.

    The Government sought views on five broad areas of their proposals:

    • the scope of the new regime
    • the concept of dutyholders who have clear responsibilities throughout a building’s design, construction and occupation
    • giving residents a stronger voice in the system and ensuring their concerns are never ignored
    • plans for a new building safety regulator to provide oversight of the new building safety regulatory regime
    • strengthened enforcement and sanctions to deter non-compliance with the new regime

    These comprehensive changes to the building and fire safety system will work in conjunction with other improvements the Government is making, such as those outlined in the Social Housing Green Paper and reforms in the leasehold and private rented sectors.

    This consultation closed on 31 July 2019.

    Supporting papers

    To view papers, which supported this consultation, please follow the links below.

    CIBSE response

    The Institution was pleased to respond to the consultation paper on the proposals for reform of the Building Safety Regulatory System and raised several significant issues.

    The consultation was heavily weighted towards fire matters but building safely is about more than just fire safety. Whilst CIBSE recognise the trigger for this review is the tragedy of Grenfell, and we recognise the need for government to be seen to address the very real fire safety issues it has exposed, we also need to recognise other hazards and the clear warnings of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) that we need to better adapt our buildings to the future climate too. We should do this in parallel, treating our buildings and our regulations for them as a system, as Dame Judith so eloquently stated in her review.

    To read the full CIBSE response please follow the links below.

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