BUILDING SAFETY COMPLIANCE IN WALES
The newest of the
three regimes
Wales is administratively distinct from England, not a delayed copy of it, and almost no specialist contractor has published an accurate account of how it works.
Higher-risk building work in Wales
Since 1 July 2026, building work on a higher-risk building in Wales needs building control approval before it starts, and that approval comes from the local authority. There is no central regulator, as there is in England, and no Gateways. The terms are building control approval, major, notifiable and recordable changes, and a completion certificate (or a partial completion certificate) at the end.
The definition is wider than England’s. In Wales a building is higher-risk if it is at least 18 metres high or has at least seven storeys, and has at least one residential unit. In England it needs at least two.
The Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026 is a separate piece of law. It sets out a regime for buildings once they are occupied: registration of regulated buildings of 11 metres or five storeys and above, and duties to assess and manage fire safety risks, enforced by local authorities and fire and rescue services.
Building control approval before work starts
Approval from the local authority, not a national regulator
Major, notifiable and recordable changes
A completion certificate at the end
Where we stand
We hold framework coverage in Wales. We do not yet have completed projects there, and we are not going to imply otherwise. What we bring is the delivery model and the compliance discipline that has taken buildings through the process in England and Scotland, applied to a regime we have taken the trouble to understand properly.
If you are an owner or an asset manager with a Welsh building and you want a straight explanation of where it sits, that is a conversation worth having early rather than late. Compliance in England, Compliance in Scotland, talk to us about a Welsh building.
Bring us in before the design is fixed
Early engagement under a PCSA is where the risk comes out of a remediation project. It is also where the programme is won or lost.
SCOTLAND
74 Glencraig Street
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
ML6 9AS
NORTHERN REGION
Unit 12 Ashburton Park
Trafford Park, Manchester
M17 1EH
SOUTHERN REGION
Unit 3, 362B Spring Road
Southampton
SO19 2PB
Insulated Render Systems (Scotland) Ltd, trading as IRS Construction · Registered in Scotland no. SC441561 · © 2026