The first stage of the planned building safety process has been formally announced by MHCLG. This will make changes to the planning system to introduce gateway 1 or, as MHCLG is now referring to it, planning gateway 1. The planned changes will ensure that fire safety, where it relates to land use planning, are considered at planning application stage for relevant high-rise buildings. The proposed changes are still undergoing parliamentary scrutiny but, subject to this, the changes will take effect from 1 August 2021.

Planning gateway 1 will be introduced through secondary legislation, amendments to the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015. The amendments will require that a standardised fire statement is submitted for each detailed planning application relating to a relevant high-rise building, and will also make the HSE (later to become the Building Safety Regulator) a statutory consultee at the planning application stage, such that it can provide specialist fire safety advice to local planning authorities.

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