Lorient welcomes the new Building Safety Bill, which will drastically overhaul building regulations in England and Wales.
Introduced in the House of Commons on 5 July, the bill is the next step in ground-breaking reforms that will create lasting generational change and set out a clear pathway for how high-rise residential buildings should be constructed, maintained and made safe.
Fire door safety maintenance
Considerations such as fire door safety maintenance and inclusive design will come to the fore as part of the new bill, which are issues that both Lorient and ASSA ABLOY strongly support.
The safety measures outlined in the new bill address the concerns raised in the Hackitt Report
The safety measures outlined in the new bill address the concerns raised in the Hackitt Report, in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Building owners will be required to manage safety risks, with clear lines of responsibility for safety during design, construction, completion and occupation of high-rise buildings.
Managing safety risks
They will also need to demonstrate that they have effective, proportionate measures in place to manage safety risks. Those who do not meet these obligations may face criminal charges.
Under the bill, a new Building Safety Regulator will oversee a new, stricter safety regime for high-rise residential homes. These developments will require Principal Designers and Principal Contractors responsible for safety, as well as ‘gateway points’ when risks to health and safety will be considered. The bill will now have to pass through the Houses of Commons and House of Lords to pass into law.
"Four years on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the introduction of the Building Safety Bill to Parliament is long overdue. Parts of the construction sector have been far too slow to change so a new regulatory system is key to securing public confidence," said RIBA President, Alan Jones.
