The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is yet to appoint a replacement boss, a week before it becomes the new building control authority for high-rise residential buildings.
Peter Baker announced his sudden retirement as chief building inspector in April, just a year after the BSR emerged from its ‘shadow’ form after the Safety in Buildings Act was given the go-ahead royal
But the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), of which the BSR is a part, has yet to appoint a permanent replacement for Baker as he prepares to take on more powers on 1 October.
The regulator is currently led by acting chief Philip White, the HSE’s director of building safety.
An HSE spokesman said: “The processes and plans for the launch of the new regulator are all underway.
“They are in no way affected by the recruitment process and we continue to be led by our director of building safety Philip White.”
Colin Blatchford-Brown, operational policy lead for walkways and building control, also announced he would be leaving the HSE in August, although Construction news understand that the paper is no longer required by the regulator.
The Chief Building Inspector role is still advertised on the Civil Service job board. The position includes a salary of £120,000.
The deadline for submitting applications ends on September 29, two days before the building’s new security regime comes into effect.
The announcement says: “You will be instrumental in driving and enforcing the required pace of remediation; delivering a sea change in the industry’s management of systemic construction risks and building control effectiveness.”
The BSR was created by the Building Safety Act 2022 to oversee building standards and implement the new regulatory framework for higher-risk buildings. It is under the HSE.
It will become the new building control authority for high-rise residential buildings from Sunday (October 1). All new high-rise residential buildings of at least 18 meters or seven stories will need to be approved by the BSR before construction work begins. Sunday is also the registration deadline for existing occupied high-rise buildings.
The HSE also announced on Friday (September 22) that the BSR will charge clients £144 per working hour spent by its staff on its building control activities, in addition to a flat rate depending on the service.
The Infrastructure Projects Authority, the government’s top projects body, flagged “significant issues” at the BSR in its annual report in July.
