Once an application is approved, the documents uploaded with it are known as the agreed documents. BSR's change-control guidance is categorical: you must comply with the agreed documents throughout the build. Any change to them is a controlled change, and you must:
Separately, BSR must be told about any change of client, principal designer or principal contractor, and about changes to application contact details.
Changes that could impact compliance with building regulations are notifiable changes. Per BSR's guidance these include changes to:
| Subject | Scope |
|---|---|
| Construction control plan | Any change to it |
| Change control plan | Any change to it |
| Individual residential units | Layout or dimensions, where common parts are not affected |
| Service penetrations | Number or dimensions of openings in a wall, ceiling or other element for pipes, ducts or cables |
| Wall ties / restraint fixings | In any wall, excluding external walls or proposed walls |
| Fire documentation | Any other change to the fire and emergency file or fire compliance statement |
| Partial completion strategy | If one was submitted with the application |
| Staged work statements | For buildings constructed in stages |
The mechanics: you must submit the notifiable change to BSR before the change is carried out or any related work starts — but once submitted, you can proceed. BSR may request further information, and you do not have to stop while responding. However, if BSR tells you the change should have been a major change application, related work must stop.
Major changes undermine the basis on which the project was approved. A material change of use of any part of the building (for example, commercial units becoming residential) is a major change — as is needing a partial completion strategy after approval was granted without one. BSR's list of further examples includes changes to:
| Substitution | Classification | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Same, or higher, specification or class (subject to the fire-performance and other major-change criteria) | Recordable | Record in the change control log. |
| Different reaction-to-fire specification — even if higher | May be notifiable | Assess and, where notifiable, tell BSR before the work. |
| Lower reaction-to-fire specification or performance classification | Major | Stop related work; major change application; BSR approval before proceeding. |
Procurement-driven swaps are where this rule meets reality: supply-chain substitutions arriving mid-build must be classified before installation, not after.
For each notifiable or major change, BSR expects:
Submissions go through the online manage-a-building-control-application service (application reference plus the original application email). Some changes may also need planning permission.
Classification discipline is therefore not bureaucracy — it is the difference between a managed variation and a compliance event. The mechanics of that Gateway 3 reckoning are covered in our completion certificate guide.
No — they must be submitted before the work starts, but once submitted you can proceed. BSR may ask for further information (no stop required while responding), and work must stop if BSR says the change should have been major.
Through the online manage-a-building-control-application service, using the application reference and access to the email used for the original application — typically the client or its authorised representative.
Assess against BSR's published lists and the three-tier product rule, and record the assessment. Seek competent advice and clarification from BSR where classification remains uncertain; do not start affected work that may require major-change approval.
Yes. Changes of client, principal designer or principal contractor must be reported to BSR, as must changes to application contact details.
At the completion certificate: BSR reviews the change control log and any changes submitted during the build, and compares the original approved documents against the updated versions.
Ask about a document readiness review against an agreed scope. Customer intake opens after service qualification and an accepted engagement. Gate Zero does not provide BSR approval or design certification. Please do not attach submission documents to your enquiry.
Discuss a readiness review →This article is general guidance and not legal or building-control advice. Regulatory references reflect the position at 13 September 2026.