The Building Safety Regulator is finally getting ahead of the Gateway 2 queue, approving more new homes than are entering the system for the first time since the regime was introduced.
In the 12 weeks to 30 May, the regulator determined applications covering 14,928 homes while receiving new submissions for 13,964 homes, signalling that the long-running backlog is beginning to move in the right direction.
Project approval rates are also climbing sharply.
Across all Gateway 2 categories – new, remediation and refurb – the regulator signed off 75% of the 358 decisions made during the period, while its specialist Innovation Unit achieved a 90% approval rate on new-build high-rise schemes, approving 28 of 31 applications.
The stronger performance meant 9,499 homes secured approval over the latest 12-week reporting period.
The regulator has also made significant inroads into its legacy caseload.
Just 16 remediation applications lodged in 2024 remain outstanding, down from 42 at the start of this year.
New-build legacy cases have also been cut back, although some difficult files continue to drag through the system.
The regulator said only five long-running Innovation Unit applications remain, all involving significant technical challenges. A further nine live schemes are currently classed as complex cases.
The Innovation Unit is now handling 131 live applications covering more than 30,000 homes and has achieved 43 approvals since its launch.
Charlie Pugsley, acting chief executive officer of the Building Safety Regulator, said: “We continue to see positive improvements in numbers of approvals for both new build and existing building remediation cases, as well as significantly faster decision times.
“We are also making important improvements following the recent introduction of our external remediation improvement plan, with existing building approval rates of 79% over the last 12 weeks already above our minimum 65% target for the year.”
The Building Safety Regulator is finally getting ahead of the Gateway 2 queue, approving more new homes than are entering the system for the first time since the regime was introduced.
In the 12 weeks to 30 May, the regulator determined applications covering 14,928 homes while receiving new submissions for 13,964 homes, signalling that the long-running backlog is beginning to move in the right direction.
Project approval rates are also climbing sharply.
Across all Gateway 2 categories – new, remediation and refurb – the regulator signed off 75% of the 358 decisions made during the period, while its specialist Innovation Unit achieved a 90% approval rate on new-build high-rise schemes, approving 28 of 31 applications.
The stronger performance meant 9,499 homes secured approval over the latest 12-week reporting period.
The regulator has also made significant inroads into its legacy caseload.
Just 16 remediation applications lodged in 2024 remain outstanding, down from 42 at the start of this year.
New-build legacy cases have also been cut back, although some difficult files continue to drag through the system.
The regulator said only five long-running Innovation Unit applications remain, all involving significant technical challenges. A further nine live schemes are currently classed as complex cases.
The Innovation Unit is now handling 131 live applications covering more than 30,000 homes and has achieved 43 approvals since its launch.
Charlie Pugsley, acting chief executive officer of the Building Safety Regulator, said: “We continue to see positive improvements in numbers of approvals for both new build and existing building remediation cases, as well as significantly faster decision times.
“We are also making important improvements following the recent introduction of our external remediation improvement plan, with existing building approval rates of 79% over the last 12 weeks already above our minimum 65% target for the year.”
