The Institution of Structural Engineers has published guidance to help professionals prepare the structural aspects of Gateway 2 and 3 applications for higher-risk buildings.
Structural submissions for higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act: guidance for Gateways 2 and 3 details the statutory framework for submissions for new-build and in-scope work to existing HRBs and provides recommendations on content.
It also covers interlinked aspects of the Gateway 2 and 3 submission stages, such as the statutory framework, legal issues, recommended content, quality control and compliance, and the possible impact on design and procurement practices.
The guidance was created by industry experts, including Arup.
The ‘gateway regime’
The Building Safety Act and secondary legislation introduced a new ‘gateway regime’ that requires approval from the Building Safety Regulator at each stage.
These stages include planning application (Gateway 1), the design stage and before building work starts (Gateway 2), and completion (Gateway 3).
Gateway 2 applications must demonstrate how the proposals comply with building regulations. Gateway 3 must prove how the building work complies with building regulations in ensuring that buildings are safe to occupy.
Failure to meet gateway requirements can result in penalties and project delays.
Patrick Hayes, IStructE’s technical director and one of the authors, said: “This is a critical process, so this guide supports structural engineers to prepare Gateway 2 and 3 submissions. These must verify that a building design complies with building regulations.
“Each gateway must be passed before a development can proceed to the next stage. This is therefore important guidance as in the UK, approximately 2,000 HRBs are constructed annually – buildings [of] at least seven stories/18m, and containing at least two residential units. There is also an existing stock of 12,500 HRBs for which new construction works need approval.”
