New Building Materials Regulator Announced

The Government has announced plans to establish a new Building Materials Regulator to oversee materials used in residential buildings after the Grenfell Tower inquiry revealed dishonest practices by manufacturers of construction products.

The new regulator will operate within the Office for Product Safety and Standards which will be expanded and given £10m in funding to establish the new function. It will work with the Building Safety Regulator and Trading Standards to encourage and enforce compliance.

The regulator will have the power to remove any product that presents a significant safety risk. It will also have the power to prosecute any companies who flout the rules on product safety. It will have strong enforcement powers including the ability to conduct its own product-testing when investigating concerns. Businesses will have to ensure that their products are safe before being sold in addition to testing products against safety standards.

Commenting on the new regulator, Dame Judith Hackitt, Chair of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety said :

‘This is another really important step in delivering the new regulatory system for building safety. The evidence of poor practice and lack of enforcement in the past has been laid bare. As the industry itself starts to address its shortcomings I see a real opportunity to make great progress in conjunction with the national regulator.’

The government has also commissioned an independent review to examine weaknesses in previous testing regimes for construction products, and to recommend how abuse of the testing system can be prevented.

It will be led by a panel of experts with regulatory, technical and construction industry experience and will report later this year with recommendations.

With new regulators announced we look back on those who have been in the industry a long time. Read about how Richard Rogers has retired from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the practice he founded 43 years ago.

FRAEW Surveys - How we can help?

Our team of Chartered Construction Professionals are experienced in carrying out the fire risk appraisal of external walls of buildings.

Since its inception we have successfully carried out numerous EWS1 surveys and certified thousands of flats. Our methodology has been adapted to the requirements of PAS 9980 since it was published as draft guidance, and our approach has been approved by our professional indemnity insurers

All our work includes a visit to the building by one of our qualified team for an initial visual assessment, and then completion of the five step assessment process. We are also able to provide an in-depth technical appraisal using fire engineering analysis to further refine the assessment of the risk posed by external walls on existing buildings.

With offices in London, Birmingham , Manchester, Bristol & Plymouth we are able to provide this and our other Building Consultancy services all around the UK.

What makes our FRAEW service different?

We provide specialist assessment and mitigation advice on buildings that fail to meet the required safety standards. This service includes the procurement of a specialist design team to allow the full remediation of the external façade if required. The advice we provide is backed by specific professional indemnity insurance to undertake this work.

To commission a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls survey (FRAEW) or Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) please call 020 4534 3130.

For more information on the new Building Materials Regulator please get in touch.

For further information on FRAEW Surveys, PAS9980, EWS1 forms or advice in respect of your obligations as a building owner, developer or manager, please contact :

To commission a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls survey (FRAEW) or Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) please call 020 4534 3130.

For further information on FRAEW Surveys, PAS9980, EWS1 forms or advice in respect of your obligations as a building owner, developer or manager, please contact :