Approval rates for higher-risk building applications are continuing to improve with more than 12,000 homes given the green light over the past three months, according to the latest update from the Building Safety Regulator.
New data shows that 323 gateway 2 decisions were made in the 12 weeks to 1 May, with a 71% approval rate. In total, applications covering 17,046 homes were determined, including 12,299 approvals, while a further 36,984 units remain in live cases.
London continues to dominate activity, accounting for 62% of all decisions, reflecting both the scale and complexity of projects in the capital.
The regulator’s Innovation Unit, which focuses on complex applications, has also seen progress, with 73% of decisions approved over the period.
IMPROVED COLLABORATION
In London, all 14 Innovation Unit decisions were approved, highlighting improved collaboration between developers and the regulator on more challenging schemes.
There has also been movement on remediation work, with legacy cases from 2024 falling from 42 at the start of the year to just 20, as part of a new improvement plan aimed at accelerating decisions on existing buildings requiring safety upgrades.
Decision times are beginning to improve, supported by a batching process that allows external specialists to assess applications more quickly, with early-stage reviews now being completed in as little as four weeks.
FASTER DECISION TIMES
Charlie Pugsley (main picture, inset), Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator, says: “We are continuing to see positive improvements in the number of approvals for both new build and existing building remediation cases, as well as significantly faster decision times.
“This includes positive results from our Innovation Unit from working closely with applicants to resolve complex technical challenges and then seeing a growing number of decisions and rising approval rates.”
“We are also making important improvements following the recent introduction of our external remediation improvement plan. Twelve of the remaining 20 legacy applications received in 2024 are set to have decisions made by mid-May, which will see this cohort of applications reduced to single figures.
ACCELERATING ASSESSMENTS
And he adds: “Even more encouraging is the fact that our remediation approval rates are already approaching our minimum 65% target for the year, although we are not being complacent and recognise that people living in unremediated buildings want them to be fixed, safely and at pace.
“We are working to accelerate our assessments, decisions and approvals, ensuring industry can construct safe buildings so that thousands of residents see the essential safety improvements they deserve.
“But we remain steadfastly committed to ensuring that accelerated decision-making must never come at the cost of building safety.”
