Journeys
Step-by-step Business Journeys
Follow our guided journeys to help you through major business milestones and changes.
Start a business 8
Planning and launching a new business venture
Achieving nutrient neutrality
Step-by-step guide to achieving nutrient neutrality for development in affected catchments. Learn how to calculate your nutrient budget, identify mitigation options, and prepare your planning application.
Start journey →Do I need an environmental permit?
Quick assessment of whether your business activities require an environmental permit from the Environment Agency or local council.
Start journey →Getting started with CIS
A comprehensive learning path for anyone new to the Construction Industry Scheme. Understand how CIS works, decide whether you're a contractor or subcontractor (or both), and learn your registration requirements and ongoing obligations. Covers deductions, monthly returns, and claiming back overpaid tax.
Start journey →SME housebuilder planning guide
Comprehensive planning guidance for small and medium housebuilders. Learn how to navigate the planning system efficiently, take advantage of small site easements, and manage S106 and environmental requirements proportionately.
Start journey →Small site planning fast track
Quick checklist for SME developers submitting minor residential applications (1-9 dwellings). Skip the explanation - get straight to what you need to do.
Start journey →Start a construction business
Set up and register a construction, building, or trades business
Start journey →Start a lettings agency
Compliance requirements for starting a property letting business in the UK
Start journey →Starting a waste business
Complete compliance guide for waste transfer stations, treatment facilities, skip hire, and recycling centres. Covers environmental permits, waste carrier registration, and ongoing obligations.
Start journey →Comply with regulations 45
Meeting legal, safety, environmental, and sector-specific requirements
Building Safety Act for SME contractors
A learning path for small and medium construction businesses working on higher-risk building projects under the Building Safety Act 2022. Covers what the Act means for contractors, your duties on HRB projects, golden thread responsibilities, change control, and handover obligations.
Start journey →Building regulations compliance for renovation
Navigate building control approval, thermal upgrade requirements, and competent person schemes when renovating business premises
Start journey →CDM compliance quick check
Quick CDM checklist before construction begins. Four key actions: check if notifiable, appoint duty holders, submit F10 if required, ensure construction phase plan exists.
Start journey →CIS compliance quick check
Monthly CIS compliance essentials for experienced contractors. Three key actions: verify subcontractors, calculate deductions, submit your return by the 19th.
Start journey →CIS essentials for small builders
The 5 things you need to know about CIS if you use subcontractors. A 5-minute guide for builders, plumbers, electricians and other trades. No jargon, just the essentials.
Start journey →Complete guide to highway works compliance
End-to-end learning path for contractors new to highway works in England. Covers the legal framework, permit types, required qualifications, traffic management, reinstatement standards, penalties, and road adoption.
Start journey →Complete your CIS monthly compliance
A practical week-by-week workflow for CIS contractors. Know exactly what to do on each day of the tax month cycle, from verifying subcontractors on the 6th to paying deductions by the 22nd. Designed to make CIS a routine habit rather than a monthly crisis.
Start journey →Construction materials regulatory compliance
Learning path covering the regulatory obligations for construction materials in Great Britain. Understand product marking (CE and UKCA), hazardous materials management under COSHH, aggregate levy, and timber sourcing compliance.
Start journey →Contamination discovered on your site
What to do when contamination is discovered during construction or building works. Covers immediate steps, reporting obligations, liability assessment, engaging regulators, and remediation options.
Start journey →Developing contaminated or brownfield land
Complete guide to developing contaminated sites - from initial due diligence through site investigation, remediation, and verification. Covers both Part 2A and planning system contamination requirements.
Start journey →Development blocked by nutrient neutrality
Your site is in a nutrient-affected catchment and you can't get planning permission. This guide explains your options for achieving neutrality and moving your project forward.
Start journey →Do I need a wildlife licence for my project?
Quick decision tree to determine if your development or land management activity requires a wildlife licence from Natural England.
Start journey →Do I need permission to fell trees or remove hedgerows?
Quick check covering felling licences, TPOs, conservation areas, and hedgerow regulations. Determine what permissions you need before carrying out tree or hedgerow works.
Start journey →Drainage and utilities infrastructure compliance
Complete learning path for property developers and contractors working on drainage and utilities infrastructure. Covers Approved Document H drainage design, sewer adoption under Section 104, SuDS requirements in England and Wales, confined spaces safety, cable avoidance, and environmental permits.
Start journey →Ecological compliance for development projects
Learn the full lifecycle of ecological obligations when developing land, from protected species surveys and wildlife licensing through to biodiversity net gain and post-construction monitoring.
Start journey →Fix CIS payment errors
Something gone wrong with CIS? This troubleshooting guide helps contractors and subcontractors identify and fix common Construction Industry Scheme errors, from wrong deduction rates to late return penalties.
Start journey →Gateway 2 preparation checklist
Quick readiness check before submitting your Gateway 2 application to BSR. For teams already familiar with the Building Safety Act who need a final pre-submission verification.
Start journey →Golden thread compliance check
Quick compliance check for duty holders to verify their golden thread meets Building Safety Act requirements. Covers format, content, access controls, and phase-specific obligations for design, construction, and occupation.
Start journey →Higher-risk building registration checklist
Quick registration checklist for Principal Accountable Persons registering a higher-risk building with the Building Safety Regulator. Covers eligibility, required information, fees, and post-registration obligations.
Start journey →Highway works quick compliance check
Quick-check permit type, notice period, qualification requirements, and fixed penalty notice amounts before starting highway works. For experienced contractors who need a pre-start compliance refresher.
Start journey →I've made a CIS mistake - how to fix it
Something gone wrong with CIS? This troubleshooting journey helps contractors identify their mistake, correct errors, reduce penalties, and appeal if they have a reasonable excuse.
Start journey →Keep and maintain your gross payment status
Everything you need to know to keep your CIS gross payment status once granted. Learn when HMRC reviews your GPS, what triggers cancellation or revocation, how to protect your status through proactive compliance, and what to do if your GPS is at risk.
Start journey →Managing CDM Regulations compliance on construction projects
Navigate your CDM 2015 duties - from identifying your role to HSE notification and construction phase planning
Start journey →Managing an occupied higher-risk building
Learning path for Accountable Persons and property managers responsible for higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022. Covers registration, safety case reports, golden thread, and resident engagement duties.
Start journey →Managing business waste and duty of care compliance
Navigate your legal obligations for business waste - duty of care, waste carriers, transfer notes, and preparing for new recycling rules
Start journey →Meet environmental compliance requirements
Navigate your environmental obligations including waste duty of care, pollution prevention, packaging responsibilities, and energy reporting
Start journey →New higher-risk building development compliance
Learning path for developers undertaking their first higher-risk building project under the Building Safety Act 2022. Covers the gateway process, golden thread requirements, and handover to the Accountable Person.
Start journey →Plan safe work at height
Learning path for planning and managing work at height safely. Covers the hierarchy of controls, equipment selection, scaffolding management, MEWP operation, and roof work precautions.
Start journey →Planning appeal process
What to do when your planning application is refused. Understand your options, assess your chances, and decide whether to appeal, amend, or walk away.
Start journey →Planning permission for new development
A complete guide to getting planning permission for your first development project, from understanding when you need permission to navigating conditions and obligations.
Start journey →Protect your business from CIS supply chain fraud
From 6 April 2026, contractors face severe penalties if they 'knew or should have known' about fraud in their supply chain. This learning path explains the new rules, helps you assess your risk, and guides you through implementing due diligence to protect your business from 30% penalties and GPS cancellation.
Start journey →Protected species found on your development site
What to do when protected species are discovered on your development site, from immediate actions through licensing and managing project delays.
Start journey →Respond to highway works penalties and enforcement
What to do when you receive a Fixed Penalty Notice, Section 74 overrun charge, or reinstatement defect notice for street works. Covers payment deadlines, early payment discounts, how to challenge penalties, and steps to prevent repeat offences.
Start journey →Responding to CDM enforcement action
What to do when HSE takes enforcement action or investigates your construction site for CDM breaches. Covers improvement notices, prohibition notices, prosecution, and preventing future enforcement.
Start journey →Responding to environmental enforcement
What to do if you receive an enforcement notice or warning letter from an environmental regulator. Covers types of enforcement action, immediate steps, appeal rights, and demonstrating improvement.
Start journey →Responding to planning enforcement
What to do if you receive a planning enforcement notice. Understand the type of notice you have received, review your options, and find out how to appeal or comply.
Start journey →Run a construction business
Ongoing compliance, site safety, and operational requirements for established construction businesses
Start journey →Structural incident on site: what to do now
Emergency response for excavation collapse, structural instability, or unexpected failure during construction works. Covers immediate safety actions, RIDDOR reporting, HSE notification, making safe, structural assessment, and investigation to prevent recurrence.
Start journey →Structural works pre-start compliance check
Quick pre-start checklist for structural works: demolition notices, asbestos surveys, temporary works design, excavation safety, and LOLER examinations. Use before beginning any structural, demolition, or deep excavation work.
Start journey →SuDS approval in Wales: quick guide
Quick checklist for mandatory Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) approval in Wales. Check if you need approval, how to apply to your local SAB, and understand penalties for non-compliance.
Start journey →Understanding construction tax obligations
A complete picture of how CIS, VAT reverse charge, CITB, and PAYE work together for construction businesses. Learn how these four tax systems interact, which apply to you, and how to manage them as an integrated compliance burden.
Start journey →Using occasional labour - CIS quick check
A 3-minute decision tree for sole traders wondering if CIS applies when they pay a labourer or mate to help on a construction job. Find out your obligations in plain English.
Start journey →Utility strike: what to do now
Emergency response for striking gas, electric, water, or telecoms services during digging. Covers immediate danger actions in the first minutes, reporting obligations to HSE and utility companies, RIDDOR requirements, and steps to prevent recurrence.
Start journey →VAT compliance for construction
Construction-specific VAT guidance including the domestic reverse charge. Essential for subcontractors and main contractors to understand when the reverse charge applies, how to invoice correctly, and how to account for VAT on returns.
Start journey →Your GPS was cancelled - recovery path
Steps to take after your CIS gross payment status is cancelled. Understand the critical difference between cancellation and revocation, manage the immediate cashflow impact, and plan your path to re-application.
Start journey →Grow my business 2
Expanding operations, reaching new customers, and scaling up
Grow your construction business
Scale your construction business - win public contracts, build your workforce, achieve accreditations, and manage subcontractors at scale
Start journey →Obtaining an environmental permit for regulated activities
Determine if you need an environmental permit, navigate the application process, and understand permit conditions for pollution control
Start journey →Looking for specific guidance?
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