Critical gaps remain in England’s building safety regimes, with designs submitted to planning and building sign off completed without competence checks
Therefore, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is calling for new legislation to ensure only demonstrably competent chartered professionals can undertake critical work and approve building sign off.
RIBA has published proposals outlining a new legal framework needed to define who can carry out critical building design tasks and to strengthen oversight of professional competence across the sector.
RIBA president Chris Williamson said: “Right now, anyone can submit a planning or a building regulations application, without being required to prove they are competent. That is a serious gap in the system.
“Our proposals would end that by making sure only properly competent chartered professionals can take responsibility for the work that keeps people safe, healthy and secure.”
New bill to establish legal limits in building sign off process
Ahead of the King’s Speech, the proposals call for a new Built Environment Services Bill to establish clear legal limits on who can undertake key building design work, alongside a new Built Environment Council to set and oversee competence and building sign off standards.
The new law would:
- Restrict key tasks to demonstrably competent chartered professionals
- Establish a Built Environment Council to oversee standards of existing chartered bodies and enforcement
- Introduce criminal penalties for unqualified individuals carrying out regulated work or misusing professional titles
- Standardise clear and accessible routes for public complaints and enforcement
Improving safety and quality across the built environment
The proposed law would restrict certain safety- and quality-critical tasks, such as submitting planning applications, fire, structural, and building services safety strategies, and building control documents, to chartered professionals who consistently meet competency standards.
The aim is to remove long-standing confusion about responsibility in the building design process and ensure clear accountability for decisions that affect public safety and quality.
Ensuring only regulated professionals carry out critical work
Drawing on models such as the Legal Services Act, the legislation would limit certain defined activities to regulated professionals only and introduce criminal offences for unqualified individuals undertaking restricted work.
Overseeing standards across the sector, a new Built Environment Council would set consistent requirements for competence, including education, training, and continuing professional development, and would sit above existing chartered bodies, which would continue to regulate their members.
To strengthen enforcement and public protection, complaints about unqualified individuals performing restricted work would be handled by the new Council, which would also have prosecutorial powers.
Ultimately, the new system is intended to reduce duplication, cut complexity and create a more transparent framework for both professionals and the public.
The post RIBA calls for new legislation to tighten building sign off rules appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.
