The Building Safety Regulator has unveiled a wide-ranging plan to tackle delays in higher-risk building remediation as pressure mounts to accelerate safety works across England.
The new external remediation improvement plan aims to speed up approvals, reduce bottlenecks and improve application quality, with a target to cut average decision times to under 12 weeks by the end of 2026.
The move follows growing frustration from developers and building owners over slow approval timelines, particularly for complex cladding remediation schemes.
Central to the reforms is a new multidisciplinary taskforce, designed to streamline assessments and improve communication with applicants. Dedicated account managers will support the team, allowing regulatory leads to focus on technical decision-making, while a recruitment drive aims to reduce caseloads from around 25 applications to closer to 10.
FLEXIBLE APPROVALS
The regulator will also introduce more flexible approvals, including “approval with requirements”, enabling projects to begin while outstanding issues are resolved.
The changes are intended to address a backlog of complex and often incomplete applications, many linked to legacy remediation schemes reliant on government funding. Around 40% of current cases fall into this category.
To improve outcomes, the regulator is placing greater emphasis on submission quality, highlighting common issues such as missing fire safety evidence, incomplete structural data and poorly organised documentation.
Further measures include clearer prioritisation criteria, improved digital tracking of applications and a shift towards more direct engagement with applicants to resolve issues more quickly.
SYSTEM RESET
Lord Roe, Chair of the Building Safety Regulator, says: “We continue to accelerate our decision-making for new build applications, speeding up approvals for new build and external remediation projects and increasing the supply of safe new and existing homes through the recent changes we have made to our processes.
“However, we recognise current determination times for remediation cases are falling short of statutory targets. This plan represents a targeted and achievable package of measures to reset the system and clear older legacy remediation cases.
“By doing so and then focussing on more recent applications, we can ensure high-rise residents see essential safety improvements they deserve without unnecessary or further delays.”
Charlie Pugsley, Acting CEO of the Building Safety Regulator, adds: “As we enter an important new chapter as a standalone regulator, our focus is on strengthening safety, rebuilding trust and supportively collaborating with industry.
“Collectively these measures will ensure current and future remediation applications can proceed as smoothly and quickly as possible.
“But speed cannot come at the cost of safety.”
