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Navigating Gateway 2: Safety Case Reporting

Jun 12, 2025

Safety Case Report for Gateway 2
Gateway 2: The Building Control Approval Process
Gateway 2 is a crucial stage in the building control approval process. Positioned between planning and construction, it’s the final checkpoint before any construction work begins. To clear this gateway, a comprehensive application must be submitted to the regulator which includes written declarations confirming the competency of both the principal contractor and the principal designer.
What to Include in Your Application
In the gateway 2 application, you’ll also need to provide detailed plans of the proposed works, outlining exactly how the building’s safety will be maintained throughout the construction process. Additionally, your submission must describe the overall design and build approach and explain how the “golden thread” of building information will be captured and maintained. Finally, you’ll need to include the planning statement from Gateway 1 and a thorough fire and emergency file.

Building control approval must be obtained before starting:

  • construction of a new HRB
  • building work to an existing building that either makes it a higher-risk building, or stops it being a higher-risk building
  • building work to an existing higher-risk building, unless it consists only of exempt work, competent person scheme works or emergency repairs
The Building Safety Regulator

There has been significant industry concern regarding the lengthy approval times for Gateway 2 applications.

To improve delays and speed up processes, the Building Safety Regulator is undergoing significant structural and operational reforms.

The BSR is moving away from the Health and Safety Executive to a new, dedicated body within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The BSR will now be governed under new leadership of former LFB officers. Andy Roe, LFB Commissioner, has been appointed non-executive Chair of the MHCLG board, with Charlie Pugsley, Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety, as the BSR’s new Chief Executive Officer.

Alongside this structural shift, a new Fast Track Process is being introduced to accelerate the review of new build and remediation cases, supported by the addition of over 100 new staff members to support operations and reduce delays.

These changes aim to support the delivery of 1.5 million safe homes and take early steps toward the creation of a single construction regulator, a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

While the BSR is undergoing significant reforms, the industry still has a responsibility in submitting high quality applications. The industry needs to step up in this area as submission quality is a common cause of increased delays. 44% of applications are being rejected at the first validation stage simply because they are missing basic information. Frequently forgotten elements include a comprehensive compliance statement, improperly completed compliance declarations, and inadequate identification of construction control methods or standards.

The Safety Case Report and Gateway 2 Interplay

While the safety case report is not a mandatory Gateway 2 submission document, its contents are critically relevant. The information within the report, particularly regarding identified risks and proposed mitigation strategies, directly underpins the design and safety plans submitted at Gateway 2. The Fire and Emergency File, a required component of the Gateway 2 submission, will also draw heavily from the building’s overarching safety considerations detailed in the safety case report.

It’s important to note that the Building Safety Regulator has frequently requested the specific submission of the safety case report during the Gateway 2 process. This should be a straightforward request, given that the safety case report has been a legally required document for existing Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs) since October 1, 2023, the date by which they had to be registered.

Last Updated: 10th July 2025