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Thinking on
building safety.

Authoritative commentary on building safety compliance, the BSR regime and higher-risk buildings — written for architects, developers, contractors and duty holders navigating the Building Safety Act 2022.

Technical Guides

In Depth

Long-form guides on the regulatory obligations that matter most to your project.

Gateway Applications

The Complete Guide to Gateway 2: What to Submit, When and How

Gateway 2 is the most consequential regulatory checkpoint in the life of a higher-risk building project. This practical guide sets out exactly what the BSR requires, how to structure your submission, and how to avoid the requisitions that delay projects and cost money.

April 2026  ·  8 min read Read
Duty Holders

Principal Designer Under the Building Safety Act: Duties, Responsibilities and the BSR Interface

The Principal Designer (Building Regulations) role is widely misunderstood and widely misapplied. This article explains the legal duties, how they differ from CDM, what competence looks like, and what the BSR scrutinises at Gateway 2.

March 2026  ·  7 min read Read
Construction Phase

Mandatory Occurrence Reporting: What Triggers a Report and How to Stay Compliant

MOR is one of the most misunderstood obligations under the Building Safety Act regime. What must be reported, within what timeframe, and by whom — and what the consequences of non-compliance are.

February 2026  ·  6 min read Read
Documentation

The Golden Thread of Information: What It Means in Practice and Who Owns It

The Golden Thread is not a document management system — it is a living record of building safety evidence. This article explains what it must contain, who owns it at each stage, and the common failures that emerge at Gateway 3.

January 2026  ·  7 min read Read
Fundamentals

What Makes a Building Higher-Risk? The Definition, Thresholds and What Applies to You

Before any compliance obligation can be understood, the HRB determination must be made correctly. This article sets out the statutory definition, how to measure height, the residential unit requirement, exemptions and what an incorrect determination means for a project.

December 2025  ·  6 min read Read
News & Commentary

BSR Digest

Industry news, read through the lens of your compliance obligations.

Gateway Applications  ·  News & Commentary

Gateway 2 Approvals Are Speeding Up — But Is Your Submission Ready?

The BSR's new batching model has cut median decision times to four weeks. But faster processing only helps if your submission is complete. Incomplete applications will be rejected faster, not approved faster.

2 May 2026  ·  5 min read Read
Industry Update  ·  News & Commentary

140,000 Homes, 36-Week Waits: The Scale of the BSR's Remediation Challenge

Nearly nine years after Grenfell, over 140,000 homes still have combustible cladding. The BSR's new remediation improvement plan sets ambitious targets — we examine whether it's enough and what it means in practice.

30 April 2026  ·  6 min read Read
Governance  ·  News & Commentary

A Grenfell Expert Takes the Helm at the Building Advisory Committee

Barbara Lane, expert witness at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, has been appointed independent chair of the BAC. We consider what this signals for the direction of building safety regulation.

14 April 2026  ·  4 min read Read
Industry Update  ·  News & Commentary

The BSR's 12-Week Target: What It Means for Remediation Projects and New Builds

The BSR has set a target to reduce decision times to under 12 weeks for remediation applications. The regulator is taking responsibility for its end — applicants need to take equal responsibility for theirs.

9 April 2026  ·  5 min read Read
Policy & Regulation  ·  News & Commentary

A Single Construction Regulator Is Coming — What the Industry Needs to Get Right This Time

The Government is consulting on a Single Construction Regulator. Trade bodies are warning against repeating the BSR's resourcing mistakes. We set out what needs to happen differently — and what you should be doing now.

27 March 2026  ·  6 min read Read

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