New Building Regulations 2023

Summary

This article summarizes the key changes to the UK Building Regulations in 2023, focusing on the Building Safety Act 2022 and its impact. It explores the new dutyholder roles, the shift in building control for higher-risk buildings, and the overall focus on enhanced safety and accountability. The article also touches upon changes to energy efficiency requirements within the regulations.

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** Main Story**

Navigating the 2023 Building Regulations Landscape

The UK construction industry underwent a significant transformation with the implementation of the Building Safety Act 2022 and associated changes to Building Regulations on October 1, 2023. This legislation responds to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, aiming to prioritize building safety and accountability. These changes introduce a new era of responsibility and oversight in construction projects, impacting all stakeholders.

Understanding the Key Changes

Several key changes define the 2023 Building Regulations update:

• New Dutyholder Roles: The regulations establish clear dutyholder roles, including the client, principal designer, and principal contractor. These roles come with specific responsibilities to ensure compliance with building regulations throughout a project’s lifecycle. Even for domestic clients, the regulations define their role in ensuring compliance, although they can delegate these responsibilities to appointed professionals. This emphasis on defined roles promotes accountability and transparency within the construction process.

• Higher-Risk Building Control Shift: The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) assumes the role of building control authority for higher-risk buildings (HRBs). These are residential buildings over 18 meters or seven stories, including hospitals and care homes. Developers must now apply directly to the BSR for building control approval for HRBs, a significant change from the previous system of using local authorities or private inspectors. This shift centralizes oversight of HRBs, ensuring stricter adherence to safety standards. It also introduces a more rigorous process for registering new HRBs, requiring a completion certificate from the BSR before occupation.

• Focus on Competence: The regulations stress the importance of competence for all individuals and organizations involved in design, construction, and refurbishment. They mandate “appropriate skills, knowledge, and behaviors” and require organizations to demonstrate the “management policies, procedures, systems and resources” necessary to fulfill their roles. This emphasis on competence aims to raise standards across the industry and ensure projects meet safety and quality benchmarks.

Impact and Implementation

These changes affect new builds, renovations, and non-domestic buildings. They introduce new procedures for commencing work and obtaining completion certificates. For example, projects must now reach a certain stage of completion (e.g., damp proof course level or 15% overall completion) before they are considered “commenced” under the regulations. A compliance notice, signed by relevant parties, becomes mandatory for all projects upon completion. These procedural changes ensure closer monitoring and verification of compliance at key stages.

Additional Adjustments

The 2022 changes to Building Regulations also included updates to Approved Documents, specifically Parts L (Conservation of Fuel and Power), F (Ventilation), and the introduction of Parts O (Overheating) and S (Electric Vehicle Charging). Part L sets new energy efficiency standards impacting windows, doors, and walls. Part F enhances ventilation requirements to improve indoor air quality. These changes align with the government’s broader goals of reducing carbon emissions and improving the overall energy performance of buildings. Parts O and S reflect the increasing importance of addressing overheating in buildings and providing infrastructure for electric vehicles.

The updated regulations provide a framework for safer, more sustainable building practices in England. While they may introduce complexities, they ultimately serve to improve building safety and contribute to a more responsible construction industry. As of March 9, 2025, these regulations remain in effect, but future revisions are always possible.