Building Safety Act Archives - Construction Management

The latest building control gateway 2 update from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) shows a continuing de-gumming of this new and complex process. The 12 weeks to 30 May saw an increase in approval rates across all categories of applications, including existing building safety projects, after it introduced an external remediation improvement plan in April. The plan introduced a new external remediation multidisciplinary team to mirror the Innovation Unit (IU) set up last September. This streamlines communication and processing through dedicated account managers. It also saw a recruitment drive to cut individual caseloads from an average of 25 down to around 10. For new builds, IU decisions overtook the number of new cases received in the period. Across all categories, BSR made 358 gateway 2 decisions, with a 75% approval rate. 65% of all decisions related to London cases. Applications representing 14,928 units were determined, of which 9,499 (64%) were approvals. There are currently 38,775 residential units in live cases. New applications for 13,964 units came in during the period. External remediation approvals up The IU approved 90% of cases – 28 out of 31 – in the period. London saw a 100% approval rate for its 19 case decisions. The regulator said this reflects the extra engagement with applicants. All-time IU approvals now stand at 43, with a median approval time of 22 weeks. The IU is currently managing 131 applications, representing 30,369 units. On external remediation, approval rates rose to 79% over the last 12 weeks, well above the minimum 65% end of year target for 2026. BSR credits operational improvements and intensive work to improve quality of applications. Currently, 16 legacy remediation applications from 2024 remain. A further 10 are on track to be determined in June. This is down from 42 outstanding at the beginning of 2026. BSR said the data show that 2026 applications are progressing faster than before. The average approval time is still 39 weeks in a rolling 12-week period, but BSR said this was “being skewed by our focus on closing out the older 2024/2025 applications”. People still waiting “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,” said acting BSR chief executive Charlie Pugsley. “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.” He added: “However, we recognise that people living in other unremediated buildings still want them to be fixed safely, and at pace.”

Contractors question client knowledge of safety duties in BESA survey

Client understanding of building safety duties and responsibilities remains inconsistent, according to a survey of contractors carried out by industry group, the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).

Digital Construction

Integration, competency and post-occupation crucial in getting safety right first time

Integration, competency and getting post-handover of projects right first time were key themes of a Construction Management webinar on the Building Safety Act.

News

Remediation work completed on nine Salford resi blocks

Fire safety remediation works at nine residential tower blocks in Salford have been completed.

People

Skills charity to launch workforce competence platform

NOCN Group is set to launch a new digital workforce competence platform

Cladding in the process of being removed from iQ Student Accommodation in Marlborough Street, Bristol

News

BSR warns contractors over build quality to avoid Gateway 3 delays

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will be closely scrutinising how contractors manage their supply chains on major projects as they move from gateway two approval to gateway three completion.

News

SME Blue Sky Building to manage modernisation of London’s Barbican

SME Blue Sky Building (BSB) has won a major role in overseeing the refurbishment of the Barbican arts centre, which will include an imminent Building Safety Act Gateway 2 application.

The unsafe cladding crisis revealed by the Grenfell catastrophe will create a multi-billion-pound remediation wave the start-up aims to tap into. Image: Alexanderdanila/Dreamstime.

News

Mulalley awarded £1.8m in landmark post-Grenfell cladding case

Contractor Mulalley has been awarded £1.8m in a significant legal judgement related to the Building Safety Act (BSA).

Opinion

The golden thread is becoming a golden burden

The built environment should stop regarding the golden thread as a document exercise and treat it as the legislation intended: a reliable, living picture of building safety, says Brett King

News

Tell us about rogue operators, Building Safety Regulator urges

BSR wants industry to call out bad actors and encourages clients to take a lead on competence

Tim Galloway and Sarah Buxcey from The Building Safety Regulator. Image Julie Kim

Technical

Question time with the Building Safety Regulator

CM and CIOB brought together Tim Galloway and Sarah Buxcey from the BSR with several major operators of higher-risk buildings to discuss expectations, the golden thread and culture change

People

Building safety reform: the impact on team roles

Members of Rider Levitt Bucknall’s multi-disciplinary team share their perspectives on how the new building safety landscape has changed their work

Opinion

Why concealed work needs checking before close-up

In the rush to complete projects, too much construction work is covered up before it can be properly inspected.

News

Building Advisory Committee makes leadership appointments

Building Safety Regulator announces Dr Barbara Lane as first Independent Chair and Dr Hywel Davies OBE as Deputy Chair of the committee.

News

Building Safety Regulator reports batching scheme progress

The Building Safety Regulator says its batching pilot initiative is “outperforming the previous multi-disciplinary (MDT) model” in Gateway 2 process.

News

Building control funding scheme aims to expand safety roles

Three-year government funding programme comes after Grenfell Inquiry identified lack of qualified safety professionals in built environment sector.

Technical

How does fire engineering deal with operational changes to buildings?

Adding champagne bars to stadium concourses or skateparks in shopping centres may sound like fun projects, but such building changes create fire engineering challenges. Mott MacDonald’s Beth Corrigan explains

Technical

Client survey – red flags over contractor workmanship

Construction clients are not happy about contractor workmanship and quality. Find out more in part 2 of the 2026 CM and CIOB client survey

Image: Richardjohnsonuk | Dreamstime.com

Opinion

Government needs expert advice to cut building safety delays

The Building Safety Act is contributing to the slowdown in housebuilding, and the Government should set up an expert working group to brainstorm cutting delays, says Justin Kenny