Dame Judith Hackitt has said the construction industry must embrace cultural change, competence and collaboration to deliver safe buildings under the reformed regulatory regime.
Speaking to The Planner, the Royal Town Planning Institute’s magazine, Hackitt reflected on progress since her Building a Safer Future review and outlined ongoing challenges.
A key part of the new framework is the gateway system, intended to ensure risks such as fire safety are considered from the earliest planning stage. “Gateway One is profoundly important,”
Hackitt said. “It sets the framework for everything that follows. Concerns raised by regulators and fire safety experts at this stage cannot simply be ignored – developers will find themselves blocked at later gateways if they do.”
She said early engagement by fire engineers and other specialists is essential to shape safer and more practical designs.
Responsibility for the Building Safety Regulator is moving from the Health and Safety Executive to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Hackitt said this reflects a wider shift to bring planning, building control and construction product regulation under one system.
“The Grenfell Inquiry and my review both identified serious concerns around the assurance of construction products,” she said. “Bringing everything together into one regulatory function makes sense as reforms mature.”
Hackitt warned that parts of the sector are still reluctant to change. “Too many are still saying, ‘just tell me what to do’,” she said. “That’s not consistent with the culture change we need. Delivering safe outcomes requires competence, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose – not a tick-box approach.”
She said health and safety professionals have a role in embedding new standards across organisations.
One ongoing difficulty is the lack of clear guidance, with industry expecting regulators to provide it and regulators looking to industry to take the lead. Hackitt said guidance should be a shared responsibility, with the regulator confirming it is “good enough”.
