Industry Briefing - updates and reminders

From 1^st October 2026, the new Building Safety Levy will be charged on construction projects (subject to certain exclusions) containing residential accommodation and will affect building control applications made from that date. The amount charged will depend on the geographic location of the project.

 These Regulations come into force on 24 March 2027, (or 24 September 2027 for HRBs). The Future Homes and Buildings Standards will ensure that new homes and non-domestic buildings are built with low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency.

There is updated statutory guidance in Approved Document L (Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Volumes 1 (Dwellings) and 2 (Buildings other than Dwellings) and Approved Document F (Ventilation) Volume 1 (Dwellings) to support compliance with the Regulations.

Industry Competence Committee publishes report

The Industry Competence Committee(ICC) has recently published its 2025-2026 Annual Report.

The report concludes that substantial progress has been made in creating competence frameworks, guidance and governance structures across the construction sector, but the industry's biggest challenge now is achieving consistent adoption, stronger organisational competence and measurable evidence that these reforms are improving building safety outcomes.

One practical development that received significant attention was the launch of the UK-wide Competence Hub launched in January 2026 and developed with the British Standards Institution.

According to the report it will act as a central repository for competence standards, frameworks and guidance and more than 2,200 users had accessed it by the time of publication.

Regarding the Building Control profession, the report specifically highlights concerns around capacity, career progression, retention of inspectors and experience pathways for inspectors seeking higher-risk building work.