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Our Gateway 2 Application: What We Learnt

Discover key insights from our recent BSR Gateway 2 application, including required documents, compliance strategies and best practices to streamline the process.

Having recently received a BSR Gateway 2 approval, we realised that by sharing the experiences and insights we gained during the process, we could be of valuable assistance to anyone who might be submitting an application.

This task can seem to be quite daunting, especially if you’re doing it for the first time, but we hope that the following hints and tips will streamline the process for you.

What is the BSR & Why Does Approval Matter?

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is a crucial body established to oversee the safety and performance of buildings across the UK. Its role is to ensure that buildings meet stringent safety standards, particularly in response to past regulatory shortcomings that have led to significant incidents. For those in the construction sector, obtaining BSR Gateway 2 approval is not just a legal requirement – it is an essential step in demonstrating commitment to safety, compliance and best practice.

As a company committed to high standards, we recently submitted a BSR Gateway 2 application. Through this process, we gained valuable insights that we believe will benefit others navigating the same journey.

Key Learnings from Our Application Process

Through our experience, we identified several crucial factors that can streamline the application process and improve the chances of a smooth approval.

1.    Don’t Skimp on Details

The level of detail required is equivalent to what was previously needed for building control approval before the gateway process was introduced. We found the following detail was needed:

  • Design developed to a stage 4 level of detail plus the following items
    • Specified products & test data where the performance is important to meet regulations.
    • Detailed structural calculations

2.    Tell the Story of Compliance

The BSR expects a clear and structured explanation of how the project meets building regulations. Instead of submitting a bulk of documents and expecting the regulator to interpret them, we recommend:

  • Provide a thorough Building Regulations Compliance Statement which clearly demonstrates compliance with each of the regulations.
  • Provide specific additional reports and calculations to back up the compliance against that regulation. 
  • Take ownership of compliance.  Don’t just include a calculation report, explain why it demonstrates compliance.

3.    Use Signposting Effectively

Including too much detail can be confusing for the BSR, especially as they have no prior knowledge of the project.  If a document is not required to demonstrate building control compliance, then don’t include it.  To make your application easier to navigate:

  • Include a detailed index to help regulators locate key information quickly.
  • Provide a marked-up drawing that includes a scope of works with a clear breakdown of the project.
  • Ensure supporting documents are well-labelled and referenced within the submission.

4.    Include all the specified documents!

The regulations require specific named documents, and omitting or misnaming them will result in immediate queries or rejection!  We recommend creating a checklist from the regulations themselves and including this within the application to demonstrate all the items are included and where they are located.  Some of the key documents are:

  • Building Regulations Compliance Statement
  • Construction Control Plan
  • Competency Declaration
  • Mandatory Occurrence Reporting Plan
  • Change Control Plan

Timescale for Approval

The timescale for approval can vary significantly with the BSR often requesting extensions.  Our approval took 8 months, and across our applications we have found that the BSR work through the below typical process:

  • Validation
  • Case Officer Assigned
  • Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) appointed including RBI
  • Detailed Review of application by RBI & other MDT members
  • Queries issued & resolved
  • Local Fire Authority Consultation (3 weeks)
  • Final Queries resolved
  • Approval!

Final Thoughts

Navigating the BSR application process requires diligence, organisation and a thorough understanding of regulatory requirements. By incorporating detailed information, structuring submissions effectively and ensuring clear signposting, you will streamline the process and avoid unnecessary delays. Our experience has also reinforced the importance of being proactive and meticulous – key qualities that ensure a successful application and, ultimately, a safer built environment.

Gateway 2 approval received on Commercial Road

Gateway 2 approval received from the Building Safety Regulator!

Excellent to receive notification yesterday that one of our cladding remediation schemes in Aldgate has received Gateway 2 approval!

An incredible amount of hard work from the team pulling together a comprehensive design package based on detailed intrusive surveys completed earlier this year. All eyes are looking ahead to starting on site as soon as possible next year with our site welfare already in place ready to go!

Envoy Projects Ltd are engaged as the BSA Principal Designer and Principal Contractor for the remediation works, which include replacement of ACM cladding and combustible insulation behind terracotta and aluminium cladding.

A key milestone on our journey to make buildings safe again!

The Final Stages of Crown Wharf

As the works on-site are drawing to a close, we find ourselves in the exciting final stages of this project. The journey has been long and challenging, but the progress has been truly remarkable.

With the brickwork replacement making excellent progress and slated for completion by the end of this month, we are on track to have all the scaffolding removed before the end of the year.

We are delighted to share some heart-warming feedback from the residents at Crown Wharf, who have stood by our side throughout this journey. One resident expressed their gratitude by saying, “Just wanted to say a thank you to everyone on the team for the work over the last 18 months and how lovely it is to have the sky back again! But seriously, an absolutely fantastic job. The place looks brand new.” Such feedback is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team.

Click here to hear more about what our residents have to say.

We would like to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude to all the residents at Crown Wharf for their incredible patience and understanding during the disruptions that occurred over the past three years. Your support and cooperation have been invaluable and have played a significant role in enabling us to complete the necessary remedial works. It has been an absolute pleasure to work on this site, and we are honoured to have been a part of this transformative project.

Stay tuned for the upcoming developments and the grand unveiling of the revitalized Crown Wharf. We can’t wait to share the final results with you all!

Click here to find out more about this project.

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Crown Wharf Project Update

We are thrilled to update you on the latest developments at Crown Wharf, as we have recently begun installing brick slips using a cutting-edge corium cladding system.

We are also excited to be working alongside Pellings to ensure that the building is safe and secure for the residents.

If you’re interested in learning more about this exciting project, please click here.