Across many developed markets, ambitious housing targets are colliding with a growing regulatory logjam
The United Kingdom is a prime example: new safety and environmental standards introduced after the Grenfell tragedy have created a bottleneck of approvals and compliance stages that are now slowing down housing delivery nationwide.
According to data from the Home Builders Federation (HBF), the number of new home starts in England is down by nearly 20% year-on-year. Developers cite long waiting times for building safety assessments, planning consents, and fire regulation approvals as the main culprits. “Every project now goes through several new layers of technical review, and each local authority interprets them differently,” says one major developer in London. “It’s risk aversion multiplied by paperwork.”
The government’s Building Safety Act (BSA), though necessary, has stretched thinly resourced local planning departments. The Health and Safety Executive’s new Building Safety Regulator has struggled to meet demand, with approval queues stretching for months. Meanwhile, developers face escalating costs from holding land and stalled financing.
The ripple effects extend well beyond bureaucratic frustration. The UK’s target to build 300,000 new homes per year looks increasingly unattainable. Construction consultancy Currie & Brown warns that if approvals continue at the current pace, completions could fall below 200,000 by 2026 — deepening the housing affordability crisis.
This tension between safety oversight and housing supply is not unique to the UK
Similar gridlock has been reported in Ireland, Australia, and parts of the U.S., where post-pandemic permitting reforms have yet to streamline digital submission or inter-agency coordination.
Industry bodies are now pushing for a dual-track approach: preserve rigorous safety standards while accelerating procedural flow through digital permitting, standardized templates, and performance-based approvals. The Construction Leadership Council has proposed a “fast-track” digital review for low-risk developments and clearer national guidance to reduce regional variation.
Without reform, experts warn that private investment could retreat. “When capital waits, the whole ecosystem slows — contractors, suppliers, and the next generation of buyers all feel it,” notes PwC’s 2025 Construction Outlook.
For now, the sector faces a paradox: policies designed to make buildings safer are inadvertently making it harder to build them at all. The challenge ahead is to restore momentum — without compromising the very standards those reforms were meant to protect.
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