As Derby welcomes billions of pounds of investment for regeneration, Derbyshire Building Control Partnership (DBCP) has urged developers in the city to engage with them sooner rather than later to ensure that the forthcoming changes to building control regulations are fully observed at the planning stage.
Following the Grenfell Tower disaster, a new regulatory framework on multi-occupancy higher risk residential buildings (HRRBs) that are 10 storeys or more in height is set to be introduced.
The City Centre Masterplan has laid out plans to deliver 19,000 new homes by 2030. As part of this plan Derby City Centre has been designated a Housing Zone and it is expected that HRRBs will form part of the housing offer.
Simeon Cornes, Building Control Team Leader at the company’s Derby office, advised: “It’s an exciting time for Derby. New developments and projects are moving forward quickly. It’s important that the forthcoming changes to building regulations are observed now at the planning stage to ensure that the delivery of much needed housing in Derby is not delayed by having to make adjustments during the construction phase in order to comply with the new regulations.
“I urge architects and developers to adopt the forthcoming changes to building control into their designs now and engage with DBCP sooner rather than later to ensure they get it right first time.”
In April last year a 13-storey apartment block was given the green light by Derby City Council planners after councillors decided that the city needs to “grow up”. The landmark development has been seen as a catalyst for future high rise developments in Derby.
At the planning hearing committee chair Shiraz Khan said: “Space is at a premium. We need more city centre housing and this is a structure we’re going to have to get used to seeing.”
As part of the proposals set out in the government’s consultation for reform of the building safety regulatory system, it proposes that those involved in the design, build and refurbishment of multi-occupied high rise residential buildings in England will be assigned stringent new duties to ensure fire and building safety.
Currently under consultation until 31 July, the government will consider responses over the summer and publish its own response in the autumn.
Simeon added: “We are passionate about ensuring that buildings are safe and fit for use and it’s a job that can’t be done in isolation as you need the resources, skills and experience of a wider team, which DBCP has.”
DBCP is the recommended building control service provider in Derbyshire and is responsible for ensuring that all new construction, conversions, alterations and extensions are built to a minimum standard and meet certain health, safety and welfare standards.
The company is the appointed building control service provider for the conversion of the much-anticipated Derbyshire Royal Infirmary to an 800-home city living space. Work on Nightingale Quarter by the site owners BJD Investors and Developers, is set to begin in August 2019, with the first homes available in autumn 2020.
DBCP’s team of building surveyors includes professionals who have years of experience spanning the entire construction spectrum, including the multi-award winning iHub Derby which is the centre-piece of the £12 million Infinity Park.
For more information on how Derbyshire Building Control Partnership can commercial and residential properties, please get in touch with our expert team.