‘Unacceptable’ BSR delays threaten 1.5m homes target

Delays caused by the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) approval processes are leaving residents in unsafe buildings and increasing costs for leaseholders, a cross-party House of Lords committee has warned.

The Industry and Regulators Committee’s report, The Building Safety Regulator: Building a better regulator, published today (11 December), also warns that the delays mean the government is in danger of missing its target to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029. 

The report states that while high-rise buildings represent a minority of the housing stock in England, they are essential to deliver new housing in large cities.

“These delays have hampered the delivery of the new homes that the country needs, slowing progress towards the government’s target of building 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament,” the report adds.

“Other factors, such as skills and planning, are also a constraint, but resolving the unacceptable delays caused by the BSR will be a necessary, if not sufficient, condition of meeting the target.”

According to the committee’s findings, the BSR has not given clear enough guidance on how applicants are meant to demonstrate that their buildings are safe.

In addition, many applications are being rejected or delayed due to basic errors and applicants’ inability to evidence how they are considering elements of fire and structural safety, which has a negative impact on perceptions of the construction industry.

The committee also found that many construction products do not have relevant product standards, leaving them entirely unregulated.

Workforce challenges are also adding to the delays. According to the report, difficulties in local authority funding and the introduction of regulation have left an ageing workforce of building inspectors who are struggling to meet demand.

Despite these skills shortages, smaller works, such as bathroom renovations in high-rise buildings, are being subject to the scrutiny of the BSR’s strained multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), the report adds.

The committee is urging the BSR to give greater guidance to its MDTs on how compliance with the building regulations should be evidenced and assessed to ensure greater consistency.

Allocating the same MDTs to similar buildings or projects built by the same organisation could improve efficiency and consistency, the report says.

The recommendations also call for the government to remove smaller works from the BSR’s building control approval processes, or introduce a streamlined approval process for them.

The committee added that the government should provide long-term funding for the training of new building and fire inspectors to help alleviate workforce constraints. 

Commenting on the findings, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, chair of the committee, said: “The tragic loss of 72 lives at the Grenfell Tower fire laid bare the urgent need to reform building safety regulation in England, particularly for high-rise buildings. The introduction of the Building Safety Regulator was a necessary and welcome step. 

“However, the scale of the delays caused by the BSR has stretched far beyond the regulator’s statutory timelines for building control decisions. This is unacceptable. We welcome that the government and the BSR are now acting to try to make practical improvements, but this will not address the anxiety and frustration that residents and companies have experienced. 

“It does not improve safety to delay vital remediation and refurbishments, nor to deter the delivery of new housing in high-rise buildings. We expect to see further action from the government and the BSR to ensure that construction projects in high-rise buildings can be brought forward more quickly, without compromising on vital safety improvements.” 

As part of the inquiry, the committee heard from a range of witnesses, including representatives of campaign groups and other organisations, developers, housing associations and regulators that work closely with the BSR.

Evidence from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) regarding delays in BSR approvals is referenced throughout the report. 

According to CIOB, the BSR’s building control delays will not be “the major roadblock or primary influencing factor” in new homes not being delivered in England, as most will be delivered through low-rise developments.

However, CIOB argued, delays in BSR approvals will be one of the factors that will prevent cities meeting their individual targets – a concern echoed by several other witnesses who provided evidence to the committee.