Change of focus, elevation of skills and use of tech: how building control must modernise post-Grenfell

By Denise Chevin 2025-01-23T06:00:00

Building control is being overhauled following Grenfell. Denise Chevin looks at what changes need to be made

Not since the introduction of privatised “approved inspectors” in 1984 has building control been through such a seismic culture shift as it has in the past 12 months. And no one could dispute that a reset in the wake of Grenfell was long overdue. Of course not. The Grenfell Inquiry itself judged building control to be unfit for purpose and in clear need of change.

When competition between building control inspectors came in 40 years ago, surprise, surprise, we witnessed a “race to the bottom”, and over the years a pursuit of client satisfaction crept into the new inspection regime. As Building regulations become ever more complex, control officers were used to come up with design solutions to help schemes comply.

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