The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has put in place new measures designed to cut through the legacy cases and catch up with new applications, but this remains a struggle
The BSR committed to clearing the building safety backlog of Gateway 2 applications by 2026, and new figures are showing their progress in this.
Since August, 40 high-rise new build determinations have been made, leaving only 63 remaining.
More are ready for a decision
Nine more cases are ready for decision, making the backlog of Gateway 2 high-rise cases awaiting review 54. Approval rates are now at 73% (85% in London) according to new data from the BSR, meaning the new approval methods seem to be making a dent.
The new regulations include a Fast Track Process, speeding up the application process and streamlining from application to decision.
However, the backlog of cladding remediation and safety refurbishment remains worryingly high, as open cases have climbed from 262 to 283.
The report containing this data states that: “Having focused on addressing the new build backlog initially, BSR is now developing a focused plan to extend the lessons learned to remediation cases.”
Still, October saw a record-breaking 206 determinations made across all categories, and despite the invalidation rate being high, the median time of invalidation is one week, allowing applicants to quickly reassess their application and resubmit.
Remediation Acceleration Plan to remove dangerous cladding by 2030
Last year, the government laid out a new plan to ensure that high-rise and mid-rise buildings with hazardous cladding are made safe by the end of 2029.
The plan has three objectives, to fix buildings faster, identify all buildings with unsafe cladding, and to support residents. It aims to see all high-rise buildings (18 metres or more in height) with unsafe cladding to have been fully remediated, and every mid-rise building (11 metres or more) to have either been remediated, have a date for completion, or to have given penalties to any responsible landlords.
Former deputy prime minister and secretary of state for housing, Angela Rayner, said at the time: “More than seven years on from the Grenfell tragedy, thousands of people have been left living in homes across this country with dangerous cladding. The pace of remediation has been far too slow for far too long. We are taking decisive action to right this wrong and make homes safe.”
“Our remediation acceleration plan will ensure those responsible for making buildings safe deliver the change residents need and deserve.”
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