New building control rules in Wales from July

If you work on projects in Wales, you need to be aware of what has changed. 

The Welsh regime largely mirrors the approach already in force in England, particularly on dutyholder obligations, gateway approvals, and the golden thread. The Welsh Government recognised during its 2025 consultation the need for alignment with the English regime wherever possible. 

But there are meaningful differences:

• Unlike in England, where the higher-risk building regime is overseen by the Building Safety Regulator, the building control authority for higher-risk buildings in Wales will be the relevant local authority. 
• In Wales, a higher-risk building need only contain at least one residential unit, compared with two or more in England. 
• The Welsh regime aims to learn from England's prior implementation experience so other adjustments have also been made. 

The Welsh Government has published new guidance to support businesses through the transition. 

The guidance covers four key areas:

Higher-risk buildings: A new procedural framework introduces a requirement for formal building control approval before any higher-risk building work can begin. Work cannot start lawfully without approval at Gateway 2, and occupation cannot follow without formal completion certification. Higher-risk buildings are defined as those at least 18 metres in height or with at least seven storeys that contain at least one residential unit, or are a hospital, care home, or children's home. Read guidance here.

Dutyholder responsibilities: A new dutyholder regime applies to all building work. The roles align with CDM dutyholder roles, with the aim of ensuring clear responsibility for compliance with building regulations. Clients must ensure they appoint competent designers and contractors, who must demonstrate competence and cooperate throughout the project lifecycle. Read guidance here.

Transitional arrangements: Where full plans were deposited with a building control authority, or an initial notice given and accepted, before 1 July 2026, the existing building regulations continue to apply to that work. This means new provisions such as gateways, golden thread, and dutyholder roles will not apply to building work meeting those criteria. Read guidance here. 

Lapse of building control approval: Guidance is also available covering what happens when building control approval lapses. Read guidance here.

If you have questions about how these changes affect your business, contact the Welsh Government at [email protected] or NFRC’s technical team.