The Building Safety Act 2022
The Act is a response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy and is arguably the most significant piece of legislation to affect the UK's built environment industry in decades. It aims to make buildings safer and deliver improvements across the entire construction sector, including by imposing a more rigorous regulatory regime for 'higher-risk' buildings.
This year should see the coming into effect of requirements for stages two and three of the 'Gateway Regime' which was introduced by the Act to ensure that building safety risks are considered at each gateway of every higher-risk building project. Similarly, other subordination legislation is expected including regulations to provide clarification on the 'golden thread' of vital information to be maintained throughout the lifecycle of every 'higher-risk' building and legislation to define a 'higher-risk building' under the Act.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (the 'Regulations') are due to come into force on 23 January 2023 and will apply to multi-occupied residential buildings in England only. The Regulations will bring about significant change to existing fire safety law. There will be various new and stringent obligations and requirements for 'responsible persons' from providing fire safety instructions to residents of residential buildings, to requirements to send information on external walls to Local Fire and Rescue.
Responsible persons who fail to comply can face fines and/or imprisonment depending on the circumstances.
