Hackitt urges built environment to lead on competence, collaboration and culture change

Dame Judith Hackitt has called on building engineers and the wider construction profession to embrace culture change, multidisciplinary working, and higher standards of competence to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality buildings.

Speaking in an interview with The Royal Town Planning Institute’s official magazine The Planner, Hackitt reflected on progress since her landmark Building a Safer Future review and highlighted the challenges still facing the industry.

Hackitt said engineers had a pivotal role in embedding the new regulatory framework, which places safety considerations at the heart of design and planning.

The introduction of the gateway system is designed to prevent unsafe or impractical designs from progressing too far before expert intervention.

"Gateway One is profoundly important," Hackitt explained. "Concerns raised at this stage cannot be ignored. If they are, the project will almost certainly fail to clear later gateways."

She emphasised that engineers – particularly fire engineers – must be engaged from the earliest stages to ensure designs are robust. "Too often in the past, engineers were consulted too late. Early collaboration allows better solutions to be engineered in from the start."

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR), initially the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), is being moved to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to unify oversight of planning, building control, and construction products.

Hackitt said this reflects a recognition that construction products themselves need tighter regulation, and that all aspects of safety oversight should be brought together into a single framework.

The engineering profession has been among those pushing forward, but Hackitt warned that across construction, the picture is mixed.

"In the aftermath of Grenfell, there was recognition that the whole system had failed. Yet too many parts of industry still want to be told exactly what to do. That mindset is not compatible with the culture of responsibility we need."

She added that engineers are well placed to demonstrate leadership, not just in technical competence but in advocating for safety outcomes as the purpose of the whole system.

One of the challenges since reform began has been a lack of clear guidance. Hackitt rejected the idea that the regulator alone should provide it.

"It must be a joint responsibility. Industry and professional bodies should come together to produce practical guidance, with the regulator confirming that it meets the required standard."

Hackitt also noted the importance of professional bodies enforcing high standards: "Codes of conduct must be robust, and professions must be seen to discipline poor practice. This is about public interest first."

A major concern is the limited number of building control professionals and the ageing demographic of the workforce, she warned.

"To attract new entrants, we must change the narrative. These are not dry, bureaucratic jobs – they are roles of societal importance, ensuring people live and work in safe, fit-for-purpose buildings."

Hackitt urged engineers to articulate their work in terms of problem-solving for society, not just technical compliance: "That’s how you make these careers attractive and meaningful."

With government under pressure to deliver 1.5 million new homes, Hackitt acknowledged tension between speed and quality. She insisted standards must not be compromised.

"There are ways to build faster without cutting corners – for example, standardised designs approved once and built many times, or staged approvals at Gateway Two. But quality remains non-negotiable."

Hackitt also suggested that the gateway process could be applied to broader goals such as net zero.

"The principle is simple: define what you want to build, prove the design delivers it, and then demonstrate it has been built as promised. Applied proportionately, this approach could raise standards across the board."

Hackitt closed with a challenge to the profession. "Engineers are critical to this reform agenda. We need competence, accountability, and above all, collaboration across disciplines. Cultural change will not come from regulation alone – it requires professionals stepping up and leading by example."