Payte has been appointed on the conversion and fit-out of a new retail unit in Clipper Street, East London. The development includes a registered higher-risk residential building, but early investigation showed the shop did not need to go through the Building Safety Regulator.
The challenge
The ground-floor unit sits within a development that contains a registered higher-risk building. For most work to a higher-risk building, approval must come from the Building Safety Regulator before work starts, and that process is longer and more demanding than conventional building control.
But it was not clear that the shop fell within that regime. The regulatory position of the unit needed careful investigation before the right approval route could be set. Assuming the BSR route would have added time and cost; assuming the conventional route without checking would have risked unauthorised work.
Our approach
Payte coordinated every strand of the project:
- the Licence to Alter with the landlord
- the architectural design of the shop fit-out
- planning, for the changes to the external glazing and louvres
- Building Control, including the new mechanical ventilation
Working with the landlord and the regulatory team, Payte established that the retail premises could be treated separately from the residential higher-risk part of the development. The project can therefore proceed through the conventional Building Regulations route, rather than an unnecessary full BSR process.
What the client gains
A clear, agreed route from the start. That avoids the delay and cost of a BSR application the project did not need, while making sure the correct approvals are still in place.
Why this matters
A building’s higher-risk status does not automatically decide the route for every unit within a development. The answer depends on how the building and the unit are arranged, and it should be confirmed with the regulators, not assumed. Early architectural and regulatory analysis saves time and money and keeps the project on the right side of the rules.
Fitting out a unit in a higher-risk development?
Payte helps tenants and landlords establish the right approval route, then manages the Licence to Alter, planning and Building Regulations. Get in touch to talk through your unit.
