Reforms to Building Safety Regulator and Lord’s Committee Inquiry
Reforms to Building Safety Regulator and Lord’s Committee Inquiry into the Building Safety Regulator
Written by APS Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Sofie Hooper
Today, 30th June, the Government announced a new Fast Track Process to enhance the review of newbuild applications, unblock delays and boost sector confidence. They also announced reforms that pave the way for the creation of a single construction regulator, as recommended by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, by transferring the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) from the HSE to a new Executive Agency of the MHCLG by the Autumn.
This announcement took place against the backdrop of a House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee Inquiry into building safety regulation, launched on 18th June with a particular focus on the work of the BSR.
The BSR, which was established following the Building Safety Act 2022, is responsible for setting standards for the design and construction of higher-risk buildings (HRB). Higher-risk buildings have been defined as buildings that are at least 18 metres in height or have at least seven storeys and contain at least two residential units. For lower-risk buildings, the BSR does not directly approve their construction but is responsible for regulating the building control bodies and inspectors that do hold this responsibility.
The new regime for HRB has three gateway points, and the BSR is responsible for gateway two (Building Control approval before construction starts), and gateway three (Completion Certificate Application). Concerns have been raised by some in the housing sector that delays in approvals by the BSR have slowed down the delivery of new buildings and homes. Of new build applications for gateway 2, only 10.7% have been approved so far, with a 19% approval rate for gateway two applications for work done in existing HRBs. (The data was obtained and communicated by Cast through an FOI, for the period October 2023 until end of May 2025).
Philip White, chief inspector of buildings at the BSR, has been quoted in industry magazines as saying that “industry needs to step up and comply with the process” in providing good quality applications.
Today’s Government announcements are clearly trying to change the situation on the ground with the new Fast Track Process, which will include a boost in capacity into the BSR. APS will share more information about the newly announced process as soon as possible.
The Committee invites written contributions to its inquiry by Sunday 31 August 2025 and will be holding public evidence sessions between June and September. The outcome of the Inquiry will be the publication of a report to Parliament in the Autumn.
APS is supporting its members with a range of upskilling events so that members can help fulfil the regulatory requirements when working on HRB. On Wednesday, 2nd July, APS will host a CPD event, HRB gateways explained, that will support members to understand the gateway process and its requirements better, so that better quality applications can be submitted. You can register for the Building Regulations event here.
Additional resources available from APS include: