The UK government has announced a sweeping overhaul of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) in a move designed to accelerate high-rise housing development and ease bottlenecks in the planning and construction process.
Aimed at supporting the delivery of 1.5 million new homes, the reform package includes a new Fast Track Process for handling project approvals, changes to leadership and the recruitment of over 100 additional staff to improve regulatory efficiency.
The BSR, originally established in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy to centralise and raise safety standards in residential construction, has faced criticism from developers over delays in project assessments.
The reforms represent the first steps toward establishing a single construction regulator – a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
PIVOTAL MOMENT
Andy Roe, former Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, has been appointed non-executive chair of a new oversight board within the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), which will now assume the functions of the BSR. He will be joined by newly appointed BSR Chief Executive Charlie Pugsley.
Roe says the reforms come at a pivotal moment and adds: “The creation of the new Building Safety Regulator was a watershed moment for housing and construction in this country.
“However, it is also clear that the BSR processes need to continue to evolve and improve to ensure that it plays its part in enabling the homes this country desperately needs to be built.”
ACCELERATE ASSESSMENTS
The BSR will also gain direct access to building inspector and engineer capacity, allowing it to accelerate assessments of both newbuild applications and remediation cases, which have been held up by backlogs. This Fast Track Process aims to respond to growing concerns from housebuilders over regulatory delays stalling major developments.
Alex Norris, Minister for Building Safety, says: “It’s time to take the next steps to build on the precedent set by the BSR and create a system that works for the sector whilst keeping residents and their safety at the heart of the process.
“That’s why we’re announcing a package of reforms today to enhance operations, reduce delays, and unlock the homes this country desperately needs.”
The reforms also mark a managed transition of the BSR away from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which was instrumental in its original setup and is part of a wider government strategy to ease planning constraints and meet ambitious housing delivery targets.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Neal Moy, MD of Development Finance at Paragon Bank, says: “Better late than never, the Government’s planned reforms to the Building Safety Regulator are a welcome and pragmatic step toward unblocking the UK’s housebuilding bottleneck, and we are glad they have heeded the warnings from Paragon and many others in the sector.
“By introducing a fast-track process and investing in additional capacity, these changes directly address the delays that have frustrated developers and slowed progress on much-needed housing delivery.
“As a bank which works predominantly with SMEs in the construction sector, we welcome reforms that reduce friction in the planning and approval process while maintaining the highest safety standards.
“A more streamlined and responsive system.”
“SMEs often face disproportionate challenges in comparison to bigger players when navigating regulatory processes, but with these reforms in place they, hopefully, will stand to benefit significantly from a more streamlined and responsive system.
“The commitment to deliver 1.5 million safe, high-quality homes is increasingly ambitious, and it’s encouraging to see safety and speed being treated as complementary, not conflicting, priorities. We hope these changes will give SME developers greater confidence to invest and build, as they have a huge part to play in solving the UK’s housing shortage.”
