Most programmes for higher-risk buildings now show Gateway 2 and Gateway 3. Far fewer show them in a way that is useful. A single milestone labelled "Gateway 2 approval" tells a funder nothing about when it will happen or what could move it. This guide sets out how we build the gateways into programmes.
Work back from the submission, not forward from planning
The Gateway 2 submission date is driven by design, not by the planning decision. Start by identifying everything the application needs:
- a fire strategy and fire statement
- structural design
- external wall specifications
- a construction control plan
- a change control plan
- a competence declaration
- a partial completion strategy if needed
Then programme the design, specialist input and reviews needed to produce them. That chain is usually the true critical path in pre-construction.
Use realistic durations
The statutory period for a new-build Gateway 2 decision is 12 weeks, and 8 weeks for work to an existing higher-risk building. The regulator's latest published data shows a median of 22 weeks for new-build applications and 33 weeks for complex cases. A programme that assumes 12 weeks is optimistic. We generally show the statutory period and carry the difference as a clearly labelled regulatory risk allowance, so everyone can see what the programme is assuming.
Show what can happen before approval
Gateway 2 controls building work on the higher-risk building itself. Enabling works, demolition, site set-up and some groundworks may sit outside it, or can be covered by a staged application. Be precise about what is and is not caught. A well-structured programme can often bring forward hoarding, utilities, demolition and site establishment so the regulator's decision does not hold up everything.
If you use a staged application, each stage needs its own approval before work on it begins. Show each stage gate separately and link the relevant work to it.
Plan for change after approval
After Gateway 2, major changes need the regulator's approval before related work continues. The statutory period is six weeks and the recent median about seven. Identify the packages most likely to change, typically façades, internal layouts and MEP routes, and avoid putting them on the critical path with no float.
Programme Gateway 3 from the start
The completion certificate application needs the as-built information, the golden thread, fire and emergency file content and evidence of compliance. Programme the compilation of that information during construction. The statutory period for the decision is eight weeks. Recent decisions have taken a median of 16 to 20 weeks.
For phased handovers, the partial completion strategy agreed at Gateway 2 sets which parts can be certified and occupied first. Make sure the logistics plan supports it. Occupied areas need safe access, segregation from the works and working fire safety systems, which affects hoarding lines, hoist positions and crane oversailing.
A simple checklist
- Gateway 2 submission date driven by a design programme
- Gateway 2 decision shown with statutory duration plus a labelled risk allowance
- Works outside Gateway 2 identified and brought forward
- Stage gates shown separately for staged applications
- Major change risk reflected in float on volatile packages
- Golden thread and Gateway 3 information compiled during the build
- Partial completion strategy aligned with logistics and sales