GovWire

Higher-risk buildings

A higher-risk building is a building that has at least:

• 7 storeys or is at least 18 metres high
• 2 residential units or is a hospital or a care home

A higher-risk building with at least 2 residential units must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) before people live there.

Read the full guidance on buildings that BSR is the building control authority for.

Who can make a building control application

As the client, youre responsible for making a building control application to BSR for a higher-risk building. You can authorise someone to make the application for you. In that case, they need to upload a client authorisation as part of the application.

The principal designer and principal contractor must support you in providing information. This may include helping you to manage parts of the building control application.

Documents you need to prepare

You must prepare certain documents as part of your building control application. You must update these documents throughout construction as they form part of the information you must keep.

You will need to upload copies of the documents as part of your application and keep the original documents yourself.

Drawings and plans

Your drawings and plans should demonstrate that this work will meet building regulations. You must upload copies of all necessary drawings and plans as PDFs.

The drawings and plans form the substance of the building control application. Where relevant, the other documents you prepare should refer to the drawings and plans. Make sure that the other documents guide BSR to the relevant parts of the drawings and plans to show how the building will meet building regulations.

Provide the right plans and clearly label them. Upload a reference file for the drawings.

Competence declaration

In the competence declaration, you must confirm:

• your confidence that the principal designer, principal contractor, and any other designers and contractors are competent to carry out their roles
• the steps you have taken to make sure theyre competent to carry out their roles

If there are any concerns about the principal designer or principal contractors competence, you must also confirm:

• any reasons the principal designer or principal contractors competence is called into question
• why you appointed them despite their competence being questioned
• the steps taken to reduce the risks from appointing them

You must sign the declaration.

Construction control plan

The construction control plan must set out details for the work and how you are going to control the work to comply with building regulations. It must describe how your strategies, policies and procedures will make sure:

• the building works will meet the building regulations
• that you check the plan is effective and how you will record evidence that the building works continue to meet the building regulations
• you capture as built evidence to support the completion certificate application
• those carrying out the work are competent to perform their duties
• sanctions and past conduct of those carrying out the work is considered to decide if they are suitable for the role, or how to prevent a repeat of the behaviour
• designers, contractors and others working on the building co-operate and share information
• those carrying out the work have enough information and training

It must also give the name and a summary of the responsibilities of:

• the principal contractor
• the principal designer
• any other organisation or sole trader who will carry out the work

The construction control plan must describe how and when youll review the plan.

Change control plan

A controlled change is a change to:

• current or proposed plans of work
• how the work is carried out
• any stage of work, including adding or removing a stage
• any strategies, policies or procedures described in agreed documents

The change control plan must show that you have considered:

• the implications of changes from the plan that was approved
• how and at what level in your organisation the impact of controlled changes will be assessed
• how you will make sure controlled changes are recorded

It should show:

• how and when changes are recorded
• that the impact of changes is carefully considered and discussed with other parties
• that you have the oversight and control you need to manage the work
• how you will record all advice about each change and who gave the advice even if the advice is against the change

Building regulations compliance statement

The building regulations compliance statement:

• must show how the planned building work will meet the relevant functional requirements of the building regulations
• should refer to specific guidance, standards, or design codes
• should explain how your solutions meet building regulations

The statement should show your approach to meeting building regulations. It should include clear explanations of which guidance or standards support your approach and why they are appropriate.

Fire compliance statement

For minor building work to existing higher-risk buildings, known as category B work, provide a fire compliance statement if the work affects the buildings fire safety. It must include any assumptions that underpin the work and how the building will be used.

You may need to provide sufficient information and plans to show the fire safety design principles, concepts and standards of your work. Show this information if your proposed work affects any of the following:

• means of early warning of fire and appropriate means of escape in case of fire to a place of safety outside
• measures limiting the internal spread of fire within a building and to buildings with common walls
• the ability of external walls and the roof to resist the spread of fire from one building to another, or the facilities or access required to assist fire services

Client authorisation

If you have authorised someone to apply on your behalf, they must upload written proof of your authorisation. This authorisation confirms that you agree to the application being made and that the information in the application is correct.

Site location plan

The site location plan must be to a scale of not less than 1:1250. It must show:

• the buildings size, position and relationship to adjoining boundaries
• the buildings curtilage boundaries, and the size, position and use of every other building or proposed building within the curtilage
• the width and position of any street on or within the boundaries of the curtilage of the building

Mandatory occurrence reporting plan

This mandatory occurrence reporting plan must:

• describe your mandatory occurrence reporting systems and processes
• show that the principal designer and principal contractor have arrangements in place (before building work starts) for designers and subcontractors to raise safety occurrences

You must be satisfied that the principal contractor and principal designer can fulfil the reporting requirements and have a reporting system in place. But the principal contractor and principal designer are responsible for establishing, maintaining and operating those systems, not you.

Location of new drains or private sewers

If youre constructing a new drain or private sewer, you must prepare a site plan that highlights their location.