Morning, Thursday, 23rd April 2026
Online
This conference will examine priorities and next steps for building safety in England.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to assess progress so far in implementing key measures in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response. Delegates will discuss how implementation can be taken forward effectively in a way that meets safety requirements while remaining workable across the sector. Key issues for discussion include remediation, timelines, sequencing and accountability for next steps.
The agenda will also consider options for regulatory reform going forward, drawing on early experience of the Building Safety Act 2022 regime and the Building Safety Regulator’s operational approach as a recently appointed standalone body. Emerging questions around scope, proportionality, enforcement practice and regulatory capacity will be addressed in the conference, in the context of the Government’s move towards establishing a Single Construction Regulator.
Oversight & accountability
Looking at the direction of regulatory oversight, delegates will examine responses to the Single Construction Regulator Prospectus consultation and proposals for a Chief Construction Adviser. Areas for discussion include priorities for competency, professional standards and enforcement across the built environment in England.
Delegates will also examine findings from the Industry and Regulators Committee’s inquiry into the implementation, operational readiness and early performance of the BSR. We expect discussion on practical issues around the Gateway process and higher-risk buildings, including navigating updated definitions and approval requirements, and factors influencing the speed and consistency of decisions.
Cladding remediation
The current framework for accelerating remediation will be discussed, including proposals set out through the Remediation Acceleration Plan update: July 2025 and the anticipated Remediation Bill, including proposed legal duties, enforcement and backstop powers. Areas for discussion include what is likely to be needed to translate commitments into practical delivery, alongside implications of imposing enforcement measures, in the context of the deadlines for landlords to remediate unsafe cladding.
Sessions will also examine data requirements under the National Remediation System, alongside access to funding through the Building Safety Fund and Cladding Safety Schemes, and strategic priorities for the Remediation Enforcement Unit, announced last year. Ways to support the delivery of Local Remediation Acceleration Plans will also be discussed, alongside approaches to effective practice for notification, tenant engagement and efficient removal, including effective practice from the Code of Practice for the remediation of residential buildings.
Building approvals, planning reform & developer duties
Alongside reform to the BSR, delegates will consider implications of proposed changes to local authority building control services on development timelines, cost, and proportionality. With government currently consulting on changes, sessions will explore stakeholder views on approaches to making services more financially sustainable, recruitment and development of Registered Building Inspectors, and enabling more effective compliance with building regulations.
Delegates will also assess priorities for reform to the construction products regime, including anticipated measures in the Construction Products Reform White Paper - expected to be published in spring - with discussion on the future of regulatory oversight, certification, quality, testing and market surveillance, and impact of new measures on supply chains and international trade.
Attendees will also consider implications of proposed changes to statutory fire safety guidance in Approved Document B - following consultation and ongoing technical review - discussing the impact of regulations on deliverability, and approaches to reconciling perceived tensions between duties and development viability and build-out.
Wider planning reform, including proposals in the recently published National Planning Policy Framework consultation on potential Building Safety Levy exemptions for medium-sized sites, will be discussed in relation to the Government’s housebuilding targets, including challenges around development in the capital.
Safety management & Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans
Further sessions examine wider priorities for improving accountability and safety within building management. The agenda will explore practicalities for accountable persons in meeting statutory responsibilities set out in the Building Safety Act, alongside adherence to new guidance on PEEPs, private and social rented sector compliance with electrical installation condition report regulations, and Awaab’s Law.
Workforce priorities & tenant engagement
Skills priorities across the sector will be examined, including considerations for training provision, apprenticeships, and funding. Reforms to fire engineering and mandatory competence requirements for fire risk assessors will be discussed, looking at implications for assurance, liability, safety and commissioning.
The way forward for building the confidence of residents during transition to new regimes will also be considered, with discussion on the relationship with leasehold reform and stakeholder duties, options to improve information sharing and transparency, as well as approaches moving forward for complaints, reporting and redress.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Department of Health and Health and Social Care; Department for Education; Department for Business and Trade; HM Revenue and Customs; and Health and Safety Executive.
