Building Safety Regulator Conference 2023

On Wednesday 22nd March, Tower Blocks UK were invited to attend the first Building Safety Regulator Conference, held at Central Hall, Westminster.

Hosted by the new Building Safety Regulator, the event aimed to offer the those who work in building construction and management industries the opportunity to hear directly from the Regulator about new and important changes coming into force beginning in April 2023.

During the keynote address we heard from four speakers; A welcome and introduction by Sarah Newton, Chair of the Health & Safety Executive. We then heard from Lee Rowley MP Secretary of State for Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities; he shared his experiences in visiting tower block communities affected by the cladding scandal.

Sarah Albon, Chief Executive of the Health & Safety Executive then spoke about the panel they have set up to put tenants voices first. Finally we heard from Peter Baker, Chief Inspector of Buildings, who focused on the systemic improvements that are urgently needed and shared a strong message to those in the industry that things are now dramatically changing.

The following elective sessions were then divided and focused towards three main groups

• Accountable and Principal accountable persons

• Building Control professionals

• Construction and Design professions

The programme included, amongst others, sessions such as: understanding the planning gateway process, discover how the building control profession will be regulated, understanding the Golden Thread of information and what to expect from the BSR as a building control authority.

The afternoon offered a panel discussion on competence with industry leaders, and a Q&A with the hosts.

We were very pleased to have been invited and felt that it was an informative and useful event for anyone who works in the housing sector.