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Building Safety Act & Gateway 2 Glossary

Plain-English definitions of the terms that appear in Gateway 2 applications, BSR determinations and industry coverage. England-focused; regulatory position as at 13 September 2026.

Accountable Person

The entity responsible for assessing and managing building safety risks in an occupied HRB (fire spread and structural failure). Distinct from Gateway 2 dutyholders, but inherits the golden thread at handover.

Approval with Requirements

A Gateway 2 outcome where approval is granted subject to a schedule of further details to be submitted and approved before defined construction stages.

Application Information Schedule

A CLC-recommended master index mapping every document in a Gateway 2 submission to the requirement it evidences. Not statutory, but increasingly treated as the mark of a navigable application.

Building Regulations compliance statement

A required Gateway 2 document explaining how each aspect of the works will meet the functional requirements — including the standards adopted, why they were chosen, and how they apply.

Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA)

The primary legislation creating the gateway regime, the Building Safety Regulator, dutyholder obligations, and the golden thread requirements for higher-risk buildings.

Building Safety Regulator (BSR)

The regulator responsible for the higher-risk building control regime in England — that acts as building-control authority for HRBs and determines Gateway 2 and Gateway 3 applications.

Change control (major / notifiable / recordable)

The post-approval regime governing changes to approved HRB works. 'Major' changes require BSR approval before proceeding; 'notifiable' changes must be reported. Recordable changes must also be captured in the change control log. Follow the change control plan for all controlled changes.

Change control plan

A required Gateway 2 document setting out procedures for assessing and managing changes after approval.

Assessment period

The period for BSR assessment can be extended by agreement. A request for information does not itself establish an automatic statutory pause.

Competence declaration

A required Gateway 2 statement from the client that appointed dutyholders are competent, and how the client satisfied itself of that — typically mapped to PAS 8671 (designers) and PAS 8672 (contractors).

Construction control plan

A required Gateway 2 document describing how building-regulation compliance will be managed, monitored and evidenced during construction.

Dutyholder

A person or organisation with obligations under the regime: client, principal designer, principal contractor, designers and contractors.

Fire and emergency file

A required Gateway 2 document covering fire prevention, detection, suppression and evacuation strategy for the occupied building.

Functional requirements (Schedule 1)

The technical requirements of the Building Regulations (Parts A–R, etc.) that HRB works must satisfy. Gateway 2 assesses the application against all applicable requirements.

Gateway 1

The planning-stage gateway: fire-safety information submitted with the planning application. In force since August 2021.

Gateway 2

BSR building-control approval required before starting new HRB construction or relevant work to an existing HRB, subject to the applicable exemptions and transitional rules.

Gateway 3

The completion gateway: the completion certificate required before an HRB is handed over and occupied.

Golden thread

The digitally maintained, single-source-of-truth record of building information required through the lifecycle of an HRB — from Gateway 2 through construction to Gateway 3 handover and occupation.

Higher-risk building (HRB)

For building control in England, height or storey thresholds apply alongside use criteria, including qualifying residential buildings, hospitals and care homes. Occupation duties have a different scope. Check SI 2023/275 for measurement rules and exclusions.

Invalidation

Failure of an application at validation — before determination — for missing components, format failures, or an unauthorised applicant. Distinct from refusal.

Mandatory occurrence reporting

The regime requiring specified building-safety issues to be reported to the BSR. A plan for it is a required Gateway 2 document.

PAS 8671 / PAS 8672

BSI specifications for the competence of individual principal designers (8671) and principal contractors (8672), set within the BS 8670-1:2024 framework, with additional thresholds for HRB work.

Principal designer (BRPD)

The dutyholder who plans, manages, monitors and coordinates design work for building-regulation compliance. The role differs from the CDM principal designer role.

Refusal

A refusal cannot be repaired through post-approval change control. Follow the decision letter: a review and subsequent appeal may be available. If submitting a new application, address the stated reasons for refusal.

SI 2023/275

The Higher-Risk Buildings (Descriptions and Supplementary Provisions) Regulations 2023 — defines what counts as an HRB.

SI 2023/909

The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023 — the procedural rules for Gateway 2/3 applications and determinations.

Staged application

An application to progress qualifying works in stages. Each stage needs the applicable approval before work starts. This is distinct from approval with requirements.

Withdrawal

The applicant choosing to end an application. Aggregate statistics do not explain the reasons for withdrawal; a fresh application requires a new assessment.

BS 8670-1:2024

The overarching BSI framework standardising competence definitions across the built environment, within which PAS 8671/8672/8673 are set.

Designated individual

The named individual through which an organisation discharges its principal designer or principal contractor functions, who must meet the applicable statutory competence requirements.

Key Building Information (KBI)

The defined subset of building information the principal accountable person must register with the BSR under the Higher-Risk Buildings (Key Building Information etc.) (England) Regulations 2023. Maintaining KBI alone does not satisfy the golden thread duty.

Principal Accountable Person (PAP)

The accountable person with the primary duty to register an occupied HRB, maintain its golden thread and coordinate other accountable persons. Where there is one AP, it is the PAP.

Responsible Person

Under fire safety law, the person responsible for fire safety in non-residential buildings or non-residential parts of a building; receives the relevant fire safety information at Gateway 3 handover.

SI 2024/41

The Higher-Risk Buildings (Keeping and Provision of Information) Regulations 2024 — prescribes the golden thread information accountable persons must keep in occupation.