BUILDING SAFETY ACT, REGULATIONS
Construction’s New Checkpoints: What You Need to Know About the Building Safety Act Gateways
Ebony Middleton | Published on 10 June 2025
A safely built project doesn’t just happen. It’s the result of careful planning, accountability, and clear documentation at every stage. For teams delivering higher-risk or complex buildings, the introduction of the Building Safety Act Gateways marks a new benchmark for rigour across the entire project lifecycle.
With the introduction of three formal “gateways”, the Act puts the onus on developers, designers and construction teams to prove that buildings are, and will remain, compliant and safe for use. More than an administrative hurdle, these steps offer a clear path to delivering projects that stand up to scrutiny, safeguard occupants, and give all stakeholders peace of mind—long after the keys are handed over.
Where the Building Safety Act Gateways Apply: Defining Higher-Risk Buildings
Not every project is subject to the gateways; these requirements focus on what the Act defines as “higher-risk buildings” where safety stakes are highest, and oversight is historically hardest to maintain.
A building is considered higher-risk if it meets any of the following:
- Stands at least 18 meters tall or has seven or more storeys
- Provides residential accommodation where people sleep, such as student housing, care home, or hospitals (excluding hotels)
- Includes safety-critical systems or complex structural design, such as advanced fire safety systems, extensive mechanical and electrical services, or unusual architectural forms
Where the gateways sit in a project’s timeline
The gateways are crucial stop-and-check moments, acting as major checkpoints in the project and giving everyone a clear signal that safety and documentation have been addressed before pressing on
Gateway 1 – Planning
Do you have a clear fire and structural safety strategy?
Gateway 2 – Pre-construction
Are your designs and safety plans detailed, reviewed, and fully documented?
Gateway 3 – Final Completion
Can you prove that the building is safe to reside in?
Each stage builds on the previous one, raising the bar for evidence and documentation. One missed requirement and projects can stall before they break ground.
Gateway 1 – Planning: Laying the safety foundations
Gateway 1 sets the tone for the entire project, demanding clear evidence of fire and structural safety from the outset. It’s not just a box-ticking exercise before submitting planning documents, it’s where a project’s safety credentials are first put under the microscope.
Why it matters
Regulators want to see evidence that fire safety and structural risks have been identified and addressed at the very beginning, not bolted on as an afterthought. Decisions made at this stage influence the entire project lifecycle, affecting everything from design to ongoing management.
What’s expected?
- Submit a detailed fire statement: This outlines how fire safety principles have shaped the design, demonstrating compliance with national and local requirements.
- Show early-stage safety thinking: Evidence of how risks such as fire spread, evacuation, and access for emergency services have been planned for.
- Provide supporting documents: Risk assessments and strategies for mitigating hazards should be included, forming a transparent baseline for the design.
If these steps aren’t completed, planning permission can and will be refused.
Gateway 2 – Preconstruction: Designs, details, and duty holders
Gateway 2 marks the transition from intent to execution—requiring every detail, calculation, and safety plan to be fully developed, documented, and signed off by the regulator. It moves the focus from “have you considered safety?” to “can you prove your design meets every regulation, in detail?”
Why it matters
At this stage, builders are forced to get granular, laying out not only what will be built, but how every risk will be controlled throughout construction. The aim is to prevent shortcuts, confusion, or late-stage surprises that can jeopardise safety or compliance.
That scrutiny is already being felt in practice with 75% of Gateway 2 applications being rejected due to missing fundamental documentation.
What’s involved?
- Share complete design and safety documentation: This means comprehensive drawings, calculations, specifications, and schedules.
- Submit a detailed safety case: A document that process how key hazards like structural failures, fire, or unsafe materials, are being managed.
- Identify principal designers and contractors: : The BSR will scrutinise whether the right people are accountable for safety at every stage.
- Secure BSR sign-off before starting construction: No works can begin without formal approval, making this a hard stop for non-compliance.
Gateway 2 gives regulators a chance to intervene early, before mistakes are built in and before risks are locked within the physical structure.
Gateway 3 – Final Completion: No entry without evidence
With construction complete, Gateway 3 is the final hurdle before the building can be occupied. It’s not enough to have good intentions; you must prove, with evidence, that every safety commitment has been delivered as promised. Under the Act, it is a criminal offence for a higher-risk building to be occupied before Gateway 3 is approved.
Why it matters
Gateway 3 is the “show your work” stage. At this point, developers need to show regulators exactly what was delivered, how safety was handled, and proof that those records are organised and readily available. This is also where the concept of the ‘Golden Thread’ comes into play, requiring a well-organised digital record of all safety decisions and building data, maintained and updated for as long as the building stands.
What’s required?
- Submit as-built drawings and O&M manuals: These must match the completed works, not just the original designs.
- Prove all safety measures are in place and operational: From fire doors and compartmentation to evacuation routes and safety systems.
- Transfer digital records for ongoing management: These will support future inspections, maintenance and compliance reviews.
No certificate, no occupation. Gateway 3 provides a final, objective review that confirms the Golden Thread has been maintained from preconstruction through to handover.
Gateway document management best practices: What to submit, where it applies, and how to file it
Reaching a go/no go outcome hinges on the ability to produce evidence of compliance for every major part of the build.
A clear folder structure remains essential during project preparation, helping teams organise documents and maintain visibility. However, the Building Safety Regulator no longer wants folders in submission packs, so files need to stand on their own with clear context. The key to approval is ensuring every file can be exported with a file name that shows which section of the BSA requirements it supports, so assessors can instantly identify which files relate to which category (e.g. F for Ventilation or H for Drainage).
This is where many teams get stuck: not in the documentation itself, but in how to structure and label it for submission. The best practices below lay out the core documents typically required for each part, along with a recommended naming format that makes your application easier to compile, send and assess.
Tip: The clearer your file names, the easier it is for the regulator to review your submission. Use a consistent naming format from the outset to avoid rework and rejection later.
Maintaining the golden thread: digital tools for building safety act gateways
Managing gateway submissions means wrangling a high-volume of documents, data and evidence across multiple disciplines. Traditional folder systems and manual checklists struggle to keep pace, especially when each stage demands absolute accuracy.
Simpel brings order to dense submission packs with digital tools designed to keep everything structured, auditable, and regulator-ready through:
Custom digital forms to capture critical details
Build smart forms that prompt teams to collect and attach exactly what’s needed for each gateway. Whether gathering structural calculations, acoustic test results, or installer declarations, eForms can gatekeep submission with compulsory fields ensuring every detail is captured.
Attach files directly within eForms
Upload multiple documents in a single step and assign them to relevant sections within the form. Rather than manually sorting files after upload, documentation is linked inline with the correct regulation as part of a structured submission. Once complete, the form can be signed off and issued as part of your gateway application.
Automated reminders and submission workflows
Assign deadlines for every document, with automated alerts for uploads, reviews, and approvals. Each team member is notified of exactly what’s due and when, reducing delays and removing the risk of missed milestones.
Building safety is a requirement, not a recommendation
The Building Safety Act Gateways have reshaped what’s expected from developers in the UK. Each stage is a formal checkpoint, and there’s no progressing without clear, verifiable evidence. These are not just policy updates. They are legal obligations that can delay handover and trigger hefty penalties if missed.
Digital tools aren’t optional with manual processes proven to introduce risk, slow teams down, and make it infinitely harder to audit. A purpose-built platform helps keep documentation structured, submissions on track, and accountability clear from start to finish.
Safety needs to be embedded from day one and maintained well beyond project completion. With Simpel, project teams can meet every requirement with confidence and clarity.
Take the uncertainty out of gateway submissions. Book a demo today and see how Simpel keeps every document, deadline and decision on track.
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