Higher-risk buildings
Following the tragic fire at Grenfell House in 2017 the government commissioned a report into regulations around high-rise residential buildings. It found faults with the technical regulations and the process by which works are procured, regulated and subsequently managed.
It has now determined that these higher risk buildings (HRB) need to be dealt with differently from others. A HRB is at least 18m high or at least seven storeys above ground level (basement storeys are excluded in the measurement) and is wholly, or in part, used as a care home, hospital or residential apartments.
Any work to create a new HRB or any building work within an existing HRB must be approved by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) before it can commence. It is a criminal offence to start work without prior approval. The BSR is part of the Government’s Health and Safety Executive, and all applications are to be made through their website.
This will have a big impact on many existing residential buildings in Westminster as they will fall into the HRB category due to their height. It means that any controllable building work in a flat or the common areas will need approval from the BSR before work can start.
Once an application is received, the BSR will set up a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to oversee the design check and site inspections. The regime is heavily structured and requires the client, design team and contractors to be very well organised amongst themselves to ensure that any changes to the design during the project are controlled. The appointed MDT has to be kept fully informed along the way, and numerous checks are in place to ensure that the work is fully compliant before occupation can be allowed.
