August 2021
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
When it happened…
Tuesday, 20 July 2021
What delegates came to discuss…
This conference examined next steps for improving building standards and fire safety in the UK - looking at priorities for the new Building Safety Regulator, and the impact of forthcoming changes to the regulatory landscape.
The discussion took place in the context of:
- the ongoing Grenfell Tower Inquiry
- the Government’s recently announced five-point plan for building regulation, which commits to protecting leaseholders from the cost of replacing unsafe cladding
- the Fire Safety Act, which has now received royal assent following debate in Parliament regarding liability for costs, limitations to possible funding, and priorities for protecting safety
- the Building Safety Bill, which was published on the 5th July after being taken forward as part of the Queen’s Speech, as well as the new Building Safety Regulator, which will oversee new regulations
- the Planning for the Future white paper, which aims to streamline and modernise the planning process, and was also taken forward as part of the Queen’s Speech
We were pleased to be able to include keynote sessions with Frances Kirwan, Deputy Director, Technical Policy, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Sarah Mallagh, Senior Policy Advisor, Health and Safety Executive; and Martin Taylor, Director of Regulatory Policy, LABC - as well as contributions from the Association of Residential Managing Agents; Burges Salmon; The Confederation of Co-operative Housing; the Construction Products Association; the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; the Royal Institute of British Architects Trust; the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; and the University of Central Lancashire. The chair is Jim Shannon MP, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Healthy Homes and Buildings.
The agenda brought out latest thinking in areas such as:
- regulation - priorities for the new Building Safety Regulator and the regulatory framework
- fire safety - looking at:
- issues for the implementation of the Fire Safety Act
- stakeholder perspectives on the scope of the Act, including any potential unresolved issues
- ensuring industry compliance and best practice
- growing stakeholder confidence - priorities for:
- effective engagement between regulators and tenants, landlords, and property owners
- embedding safety in design
Who attended…
Officials from BEIS; Defra; the Government Legal Department; the Health and Safety Executive; HM Land Registry; HM Revenue & Customs; the Home Office; the Law Commission; the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; the National Audit Office; the Office of Product Safety and Standards; and the Welsh Government.
Representatives from 3C Building Control; Association for Specialist Fire Protection; Basildon Borough Council; Bevan Brittan; Bishop & Sewell; Bristol City Council; Cambridge City Council; Canterbury City Council; Central Bedfordshire Council; Charles Russell Speechlys; Devonshires Solicitors; Element Materials Technology; ENGIE Regeneration; Estates & Management; Exyte Hargreaves; Faithful+Gould; Gowling WLG; Haringey Council; Homeground Management; Kaplan International; Kingspan Insulation; Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Long Harbour; M3 Consulting; Mills & Reeve; MSB Solicitors; OSB Group; Osborne Clarke; Royal Institute of British Architects; Sanctuary Group; Southend Borough Council; Thomas Bell-Wright Intl Consultants; Travers Smith; Ulster University; VolkerWessels UK; Warringtonfire; Way of Life and West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service.
Press: Construction News.
