Scope point 01
Applicability questions before scope
We set out the questions that decide whether and how the higher-risk route applies, and record the assumptions used, instead of asserting a determination the regulator and your advisers own.
← ServicesGATEWAY 2 · HIGHER-RISK BUILDINGS · ENGLAND
Gateway 2 Building Control Support for Higher-Risk Buildings
Technical fire-safety evidence review and coordination in support of a higher-risk building control application.
England
the BSR higher-risk building control route applies in England
Scoped
written quotation only against a defined fire-safety scope
Documented
assumptions, interfaces and limitations recorded in writing
What “Gateway 2” actually means
“Gateway 2” is industry shorthand. It is not a defined term in the legislation. It refers to the stage at which a building control approval application for higher-risk building work is made to, and determined by, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) before relevant building work starts. The procedures sit in the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023 and are explained in the BSR guidance “Building control approval for higher-risk buildings” on GOV.UK.
This regime applies in England. For in-scope higher-risk building work in England, the BSR is the building control authority — not a local authority building control department and not an approved inspector. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own separate building control arrangements, and this service page does not describe them.
The client must ensure that the required building control approval is obtained and that the information in the application is correct. Another person may be authorised to submit and manage the application on the client's behalf, but that does not transfer the client's legal responsibility. Required approval must be granted before the relevant building work starts, subject to the current rules for work that is exempt, work carried out under a competent person scheme and emergency repairs — so the position must be checked for the specific work rather than assumed.
The definition of a higher-risk building is not the same at every phase. For design and construction, the height or storey threshold can bring buildings including hospitals and care homes into scope. The in-occupation definition under Part 4 of the Building Safety Act 2022 is narrower and excludes buildings that are wholly hospitals or care homes. Applicability therefore depends on building use, how height and storeys are measured, the phase, the type of work and the exclusions that apply.
When this service is useful
Evidence gaps in the fire-safety information are cheaper to find before the application is submitted than after it is queried.
We review and coordinate the fire-safety evidence for a higher-risk building control application in England within an agreed scope: what exists, what is missing, what the assumptions are and where the interfaces sit. The Building Safety Regulator decides the application; we do not.
Primary outcome
A written fire-safety evidence review for the agreed scope, with assumptions, interfaces, limitations and unresolved actions recorded.
A higher-risk building project in England approaching a building control approval application
Fire-safety design information spread across drawings, reports and specifications with no single evidence view
Uncertainty about whether the project or the specific work falls inside the higher-risk regime
A decision to be made between a full application and a staged application
Work to an existing higher-risk building where the available evidence is incomplete
BSR queries raised on the fire-safety elements of a submitted application
A proposed design change that may affect the approved fire-safety basis
What your report includes
Written outputs depend on the agreed scope.
The report records the information supplied, the assumptions used, the limitations that apply and the actions or technical position within the agreed service scope.
Initial scope and applicability questions with route assumptions recorded — not a legal determination
Fire-safety evidence inventory and gap review
Review and coordination of the fire strategy and related fire-safety design information supplied
Fire-safety compliance evidence matrix against the relevant requirements and agreed design route
Schedule of assumptions, interfaces, limitations and unresolved actions
Scoped technical narrative covering the fire-safety elements only
Technical response support for BSR queries within the agreed fire-safety scope
Change-control impact review for the agreed fire-safety scope, where separately instructed
How we scope and coordinate the work
The service is defined before the fee is quoted.
The scope is set from the building facts, drawings, jurisdiction, project stage and the question the written output needs to answer.
Scope point 02
Evidence view, not a document pile
The fire-safety information is mapped into an inventory and a matrix, so gaps, interfaces and unresolved actions are visible before an application is made.
Scope point 03
Explicit limits
The output states what was reviewed, what was not supplied, what remains open and which parts of the application sit with other dutyholders.
From enquiry to written report
A clear sequence from information request to issued output.
Every stage records what has been supplied, what remains open and what the report can and cannot conclude.
01
Applicability and scope
We confirm the project details, ask the questions that determine whether the higher-risk route applies, record the route assumptions, and agree the fire-safety scope in writing.
02
Evidence inventory
We list the fire-safety information supplied, identify what is missing and record which items are owned by other designers or dutyholders.
03
Review and coordinate
We review the fire strategy and related fire-safety design information, and set out the interfaces with architecture, structure and building services.
04
Matrix and narrative
We produce the fire-safety evidence matrix against the relevant requirements and the agreed design route, plus a scoped technical narrative for the fire-safety elements.
05
Query and change support
Technical responses to BSR queries within the agreed fire-safety scope, and change-control impact reviews, are handled as agreed or separately instructed work.
Recorded basis
A scoped, documented evidence review process
The project type, phase, application route and fire-safety scope are established in writing before any fee is quoted, and the assumptions used are recorded in the output.
Applicability questions and route assumptions written down, not assumed
Fire-safety evidence inventory and gap review completed against what was supplied
Assumptions, interfaces, limitations and unresolved actions issued as a schedule
Result
The output records the fire-safety evidence position for the agreed scope. Validation, approval and any requirements are decided by the Building Safety Regulator, and the application and dutyholder duties remain with the client and the other dutyholders.
Information needed for a quotation
What we need from you to scope the work.
- Site address and confirmation that the project is in England
- Building use or uses, including any residential units and any hospital or care-home use
- Height to the top storey and number of storeys, including basements, and how they were measured
- Whether the work is a new building, work to an existing higher-risk building, or a mixed project
- Whether a full or staged application is intended, and the current design stage
- Available drawings, specifications and the existing fire strategy or fire-safety reports
- Any existing evidence, test data or assessments relied on for the fire-safety design
- The dutyholder appointments made to date and who owns each part of the application
- Any BSR correspondence, queries or previous application history
- The programme you need to work to, as an input to scoping
Scope boundaries
What this service does not include.
- This BSR higher-risk building control route applies in England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are not covered by this service page.
- Scope depends on whether the project is a new higher-risk building, work to an existing higher-risk building, a staged application, a mixed project, transitional work or another category.
- Magnus Opifex Seven provides technical fire-safety consultancy. It is not legal advice, not building control approval, not BSR representation by default, not Principal Designer or Principal Contractor duties, and not a substitute for evidence owned by other designers.
- The client and the other dutyholders own the application, the appointments, and the competence and compliance duties attached to them.
- The Building Safety Regulator decides validation, approval or rejection, and may request further information or apply requirements to an approval.
- There is no guarantee of validation, approval, timetable or cost.
- Fees and programme are confirmed in writing only after the project type, scope, stage, available information and interfaces have been reviewed.
- Structural, facade, MEP, access, inclusive design, product, installation, inspection and as-built verification work is excluded unless expressly and competently scoped.
- Whole-application management, competence declarations, dutyholder management plans, structural compliance, certification and legal opinions are not offered.
- Gateway 3 and completion, occupation registration, safety case reports and ongoing Part 4 duties are separate routes and are not included unless separately scoped.
Suitable scope examples
Buildings and uses this service scope suits.
These are examples of building types, uses and project contexts for which this service scope is suitable. They are scope examples, not a client list or a record of completed instructions.
- New residential higher-risk buildings in England at the height or storey threshold
- Mixed-use buildings containing residential units above the threshold
- Work to an existing higher-risk building where the fire-safety evidence needs assembling
- Hospital and care-home buildings in scope during design and construction at the threshold
- Student accommodation and build-to-rent schemes at the threshold
- Staged applications where the fire-safety basis must be defined for the first stage
- Projects where a design change may affect the approved fire-safety basis
Client needs
How this service supports project and building teams.
- Developers
- A scoped fire-safety evidence review before or during the higher-risk building control application process.
- Architects
- Clear fire-safety interfaces, assumptions and unresolved actions for design coordination.
- Building engineers and surveyors
- An evidence inventory and matrix showing what is supplied, missing or owned by another dutyholder.
Questions about this service
What is Gateway 2?
“Gateway 2” is industry shorthand for the stage at which a building control approval application for higher-risk building work is made to and determined by the Building Safety Regulator, before relevant building work starts. The procedures are set out in the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023 and in the BSR guidance on GOV.UK.
Where does this regime apply?
In England. For in-scope higher-risk building work in England, the Building Safety Regulator is the building control authority. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate building control arrangements that this page does not cover.
Who is legally responsible for the application?
The client. The client must ensure the required approval is obtained and that the information in the application is correct. Another person can be authorised to submit and manage the application, but the client's legal responsibility is not transferred.
Can work start before approval is granted?
Relevant building work must not start before the required building control approval is granted, subject to the current rules for work that is exempt, work under a competent person scheme, and emergency repairs. The position must be checked against the current guidance for the specific work rather than treated as an absolute rule.
What is the difference between a full and a staged application?
A full application covers the whole of the intended building work. A staged application covers a defined stage, with later stages applied for separately. Staged approval is not automatic: each application is determined on its own information, and the regulator may request more information or attach requirements.
Is my building a higher-risk building?
That depends on the building use, how height and storeys are measured, the phase, the type of work and the applicable exclusions. It is not the same test at every phase: the design and construction scope can include buildings such as hospitals and care homes at the threshold, while the in-occupation Part 4 definition excludes buildings that are wholly hospitals or care homes. We can set out the questions and record the assumptions; we do not issue a legal determination.
What about work to an existing higher-risk building?
Work to an existing higher-risk building is common and the available evidence is often incomplete. At a high level, the application needs to explain the basis on which the existing building is being relied on, and any assumptions made where evidence is missing. Those assumptions have to be stated rather than implied. Interpretation of the requirements for a specific project remains a matter for the client and their advisers.
Does Magnus prepare the whole application?
No. The wider application may require items such as drawings and plans, a competence declaration, a construction control plan, a change control plan and a mandatory occurrence reporting plan. Those are whole-application and dutyholder documents owned by the client and the appointed dutyholders. Our contribution is the scoped fire-safety element.
Can you guarantee the application will be approved?
No. Validation, approval, rejection, requests for further information and any requirements attached to an approval are decided by the Building Safety Regulator. No timetable, outcome or cost is guaranteed.
Do you provide legal advice or act as our Principal Designer?
No. We provide technical fire-safety consultancy only. We do not give legal advice, do not act as Principal Designer or Principal Contractor by default, and do not represent you to the regulator unless that is expressly and separately agreed.
What happens if the design changes after approval?
Changes to a higher-risk building project are managed through change control, and the treatment depends on how the change is categorised under the current rules. Where instructed, we can review the impact of a proposed change on the agreed fire-safety scope; the change-control process and its submissions remain the dutyholders' responsibility.
What do you need to quote?
The site address and confirmation the project is in England, the building use, the height and storeys and how they were measured, whether the work is new or to an existing higher-risk building, the intended application route and design stage, the drawings and fire-safety information available, the dutyholder appointments made, any BSR correspondence, and the programme you need to work to.
Request a written scope
Request a scoped review of your Gateway 2 fire-safety evidence
Send the project scope, whether the building is in England and in scope, the design stage, the intended application route and the fire-safety information you already hold. We will confirm in writing what we can review and what a scoped review would cover.
Gateway One Express: fire statement support for a planning application
- Magnus Opifex Seven provides professional fire-safety and fire statement support. All work is scoped and delivered by named human professionals.
- Planning and Building Safety Regulator decisions belong to the regulator. No approval, acceptance, validation or timetable is guaranteed by this offer.
- "Express" means a fixed, pre-defined scope agreed before work starts. It is not a published turnaround and it is not a fast-track route through any gateway.
- Turnaround and capacity are not published on this page.
Fee confirmed after scoping.
Related reading
- Gateway One fire statement — the earlier planning-stage submission document
Related services
Other scoped services often considered with Gateway 2 Building Control.
Use these links when the building question also involves design strategy, operational risk, regulatory route mapping or evidence coordination.
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