BSR Update – Gateway 2 Delays Continue for HRBs
This comes despite progress in reducing older applications and improving approval rates across several categories of work.
During the reporting period, the BSR issued 323 decisions covering new build, refurbishment and remediation applications, with an overall approval rate of 71%. However, a significant proportion of submissions continue to encounter issues before determination, with 298 applications — almost half of all submissions during the period — classified as invalid or withdrawn.
The regulator confirmed there are currently 1,367 live applications within the system, with demand continuing to outpace processing capacity. Over the last 12 weeks, 740 new applications were submitted compared with 621 applications closed, contributing to ongoing delays across parts of the regime.
The BSR’s Innovation Unit, which manages new-build Higher-Risk Building applications, issued 33 decisions during the period, achieving an approval rate of 73%. The average approval timeframe for these applications was 22 weeks. In addition, 12 schemes were identified as “complex cases”, which the regulator is now reporting on separately due to their technical or procedural complexity. A further nine applications processed by the Innovation Unit were deemed invalid or withdrawn.
Progress has also been made in relation to remediation applications. The BSR issued 81 remediation decisions during the reporting period, with 72% approved and 14 applications categorised as invalid or withdrawn. The regulator noted that it has now substantially reduced the number of older remediation cases still in the system, with fewer than 20 legacy remediation applications submitted in 2024 remaining outstanding.
Despite this improvement, remediation timelines continue to present challenges. Median approval times for remediation applications increased from 36 to 46 weeks during the reporting period, underlining the complexity of many occupied-building remediation schemes and the continued pressure on regulatory resources.
The BSR has repeatedly emphasised that a large proportion of invalid applications are the result of incomplete or insufficient supporting information, particularly around design detail, fire strategy documentation and construction control arrangements. Build UK’s Gateway Two guidance continues to set out the information required for applications relating to both new and existing Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs), with improving application quality remaining a key focus for both industry and the regulator.
The latest data reflects a broader transition within the post-Grenfell building safety regime, where tighter regulatory oversight is driving higher standards of compliance but also contributing to longer approval periods and increased administrative demands on clients, contractors and design teams.
