The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has reported a significant improvement in Gateway 2 approval rates, with almost 9,500 homes approved over the past 12 weeks as efforts to accelerate building safety applications begin to deliver results.
The latest BSR data shows that 358 Gateway 2 decisions were made in the 12 weeks to 30 May, with an overall approval rate of 75%. Applications covering 14,928 residential units were determined, with 9,499 homes receiving approval.
For developers and housebuilders, the figures provide further evidence that the regulator is making progress in reducing delays that have impacted higher-risk residential projects since the introduction of the Building Safety Act regime.
The BSR’s Innovation Unit, which handles complex new-build applications, achieved a 90% approval rate during the period, approving 28 of 31 cases. London projects accounted for 19 of those decisions, all of which were approved.
INCREASED APPROVAL RATES
The regulator says operational improvements introduced through its external remediation improvement plan are also helping to increase approval rates for existing building safety projects.
Approval rates for remediation applications reached 79% over the latest 12-week period, comfortably exceeding the regulator’s year-end target of 65%.
Progress has also been made in tackling older remediation cases. The number of outstanding legacy applications dating from 2024 has fallen from 42 at the start of the year to just 16, with a further 10 expected to be determined during June.
POSITIVE IMPROVEMENTS
Charlie Pugsley (main picture, inset), Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator, says: “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.
“This includes continued positive results from our Innovation Unit by working closely with applicants to safely resolve complex technical challenges. This positive engagement has seen a growing number of decisions and rising approval rates.”
The BSR currently has live applications covering 38,775 residential units, with London accounting for around two-thirds of all Gateway 2 decisions made during the latest reporting period.
