Morning, Thursday, 23rd April 2026
Online
This conference will examine priorities and next steps for building safety in England.
Areas for discussion include the way forward for regulatory reform, remediation and securing the confidence of residents, and how implementation can be taken forward in a way that meets safety requirements while remaining workable across the sector. As part of this, delegates will examine progress in implementing recommendations in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report.
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss direction set out in Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response, alongside insights emerging from early experience of the Building Safety Act regime and the Building Safety Regulator’s operational approach. Delegates will also consider the current framework for accelerating remediation, including proposals set out through the Remediation Acceleration Plan update: July 2025, and the anticipated Remediation Bill - looking at what is likely to be needed to translate commitments into practical delivery.
Oversight & accountability
Sessions will consider the direction of regulatory oversight and accountability, looking at the Single Construction Regulator Prospectus: consultation document and proposals for a Chief Construction Adviser, and priorities for competency, professional standards and enforcement across the built environment. Drawing on findings from the Industry and Regulators Committee’s inquiry into the Building Safety Regulator, attendees will examine practical issues around the Gateway process and higher-risk buildings, including the impact of updated definitions and pace and predictability of approvals.
Planning policy & cladding remediation
The agenda also looks at cladding remediation, duties and funding - including the National Remediation System, responsibilities for local authorities, landlords and freeholders, and implications of proposed changes to statutory fire safety guidance in Approved Document B, following consultation and ongoing technical review. Discussion will look at next steps for construction products reform, in the context of the Construction Products Reform Green Paper and forthcoming White Paper, alongside implications of planning policy for project viability, with proposals in the recent National Planning Policy Framework consultation on a potential Building Safety Levy exemption for medium-sized sites.
Overview of areas for discussion
- Grenfell Inquiry report recommendations:
- progress in implementing Phase 2 recommendations - timelines, sequencing and accountability for next steps set out in Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report
- securing resident safety and confidence, alongside priorities for housing delivery and sector viability
- remediation:
- priorities set out in the Remediation Acceleration Plan update: July 2025 - considerations for a Remediation Bill, including proposed duties, enforcement and backstop powers
- information-sharing, assurance and transparency - practical implications for landlords, managing agents, responsible persons and residents
- data and oversight - establishing the National Remediation System - roles of local authorities, regulators and delivery partners
- resident engagement:
- approaches to information sharing, complaints, reporting and redress - building trust during transition to new regimes - the relationship with leasehold reform and stakeholder duties
- regulation:
- options relating to a Single Construction Regulator - role of a Chief Construction Adviser - interaction with existing regulators and the Building Safety Regulator
- implications of the forthcoming review of the Building Safety Act, expected in 2027
- Gateway process and higher-risk buildings:
- navigating updated definitions and approval requirements - factors influencing the speed and consistency of decisions
- implications of findings from the Industry and Regulators Committee’s inquiry into the Building Safety Regulator and implications for project planning and financing
- construction products regime:
- next steps following publication of the Construction Products Reform Green Paper and forthcoming White Paper
- priorities for certification, transparency, testing and market surveillance - effects on supply chains and international trade
- developer obligations:
- options for reconciling perceived tensions between duties and development viability and build-out
- proposals in the December 2025 National Planning Policy Framework consultation on potential Building Safety Levy exemptions for medium-sized sites
- professional standards:
- reforms to fire engineering and mandatory competence requirements for fire risk assessors - implications for commissioning, assurance and liability
- priorities for the planned environment professions strategy - sector readiness for implementation
