A new board of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is taking on the functions of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) as part of a major revamp announced by the government this morning (30 June).
The board will take over from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which has hosted the BSR since its creation under the Building Safety Act 2022. It will be chaired by former London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe until the new regulator is established as an executive agency under MHCLG.
Assistant commissioner of fire safety at the London Fire Brigade, Charlie Pugsley, will be the BSR’s new chief executive officer.
Housing secretary Angela Rayner announced in February that the government would introduce a new single regulator responsible for the entire construction industry as recommended by the Grenfell Inquiry.
Today’s announcement is part of a series of reforms to the BSR to tackle delays in the approval of new residential high-rises and meet the government’s 1.5 million new homes commitment.
Reforms also include the recruitment of over 100 new members of staff to support BSR’s operations and a fast-track process to unblock newbuild cases and remediation decisions.
Gateway 2 approvals, which are the checkpoint before any construction work on higher-risk buildings can begin and should take 12 weeks for new builds, are currently taking double that, sometimes up to 40-48 weeks.
‘BSR processes need to evolve and improve’
Alex Norris, minister for building safety, said: “The establishment of the BSR has been fundamental to centralising safety in the construction process and it’s time to take the next steps to build on that precedent 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 to the BSR today to enhance operations, reduce delays, and unlock the homes this country desperately needs – delivering on our Plan for Change.”
Andy Roe, non-executive chair of the BSR, said: “The creation of the new BSR 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.
“I look forward to working with colleagues both in industry and the BSR to tackle the current issues and delays head-on and help get those homes built safely.”
HSE chair, Sarah Newton, said: “Setting up an entirely new regulator has been complex and huge progress has been made in a short space of time.
“Protecting residents and making sure there is never another tragedy like Grenfell has been our priority throughout this process. We wish the new BSR team well in this most important mission.
“We are very proud of the work we have done to establish the BSR. It was always an option that once the new regulator was established, it would move out of HSE to enable the government to implement the Grenfell Inquiry recommendations, and we will work hard to enable the smooth transition to the next stage.”
