UK building safety reforms ‘should be welcomed’ but further action needed

The changes, announced by building safety minister Alex Norris, include new leadership, a fast-track application process, and significant expansion of staff capacity. The reforms are designed to support the delivery of 1.5 million safe, high quality homes and mark a critical step toward establishing a single construction regulator – a recommendation of the Grenfell Inquiry.

Katherine Metcalfe of Pinsent Masons, who specialises in building safety, said: “The extent of these reforms is a real demonstration of the impact that delays at the BSR are causing to new development across England.”

At the heart of the reforms is the appointment of Andy Roe, former commissioner of the London fire brigade, as non-executive chair of a new shadow board within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Roe will lead the transition of the BSR’s operations out of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), paving the way for its establishment as an independent executive agency. Charlie Pugsley, also from the London fire brigade, will serve as the BSR’S chief executive officer. The government is hopeful that the pair’s experience in fire safety and emergency response will help restore confidence in the regulator’s ability.

In a bid to address the backlog of newbuild applications and remediation decisions, the BSR is launching a new fast-track process. This initiative will bring together additional building inspectors and engineers directly into the regulator, aiming to significantly boost its capacity to process cases more efficiently. The government is also partnering with industry to publish new guidance aimed at improving the quality of applications submitted to the BSR. It hopes that by reducing errors and incomplete submissions, the guidance will help shorten processing times and reduce friction between developers and regulators. To support the expanded operations, the BSR plans to recruit over 100 new staff members by the end of the year.

Metcalfe said: “The significant additional resource is particularly welcome in getting applications through the process. However, it is unlikely to be a quick fix. The shortage of suitably qualified building control professionals to support the gateway process is likely to continue to create a bottleneck in the system in the short to medium term.”

The BSR will begin publishing quarterly performance data in the coming weeks to allow developers and other stakeholders to track progress.

The reforms are part of a broader government strategy to create a unified regulator that can oversee the entire building lifecycle – from design and construction to occupation and maintenance. A prospectus outlining the full vision for this single regulator is expected to be published in the autumn.