Gateway 2 approvals move closer to 12-week target, says BSR

UK: The chair of the Building Safety Regulator, Andy Roe, has claimed that Gateway 2 approval now sits closer to its 12 week aim. 

The Building Safety Regulator has officially become a standalone organisation, moving from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to become an arms length body of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. 

The transition is underpinned by a “significant operational reset” including the introduction of an Innovation Unit and establishing efficiency measures such as a new Fast Track Process. 

According to Roe, the wait time for receiving Gateway 2 approval is now down to 13-15 weeks, and often 12 weeks for both London and nationally. 

Bundling applications, appointing account managers for major developers, and overhauling its IT system, are all said to have improved the timeline. 

The regulator’s biggest challenge is tackling the remediation backlog, which currently stands at around 280 schemes. The average time for managing remediation cases is around 34 weeks. 

Roe said: “Today is a decisive and important step in strengthening building safety and a milestone that marks our evolution into a standalone regulator. While the creation of BSR in 2021 was a watershed moment, today is about looking forward to a single construction regulator that brings coherence to a once-fragmented system. Today is about continuing to support homes being built safely while fulfilling our primary mission: ensuring we are all building better and living safer, together.”

Charlie Pugsley, acting CEO of BSR, added: “By driving professional competence and refining regulatory guidance, we can ensure a holistic approach that spans from initial design through to lifelong building management. Our commitment to robust enforcement and cultural transformation serves a single, vital purpose in 2026 and beyond – restoring resident confidence and trust in the built environment.”

Highlights:

• The chair of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), Andy Roe, said Gateway 2 approval times are now typically 13–15 weeks and in many cases close to the 12-week target, both in London and nationally
• Despite progress on Gateway 2, the regulator is still managing a remediation backlog of around 280 schemes, with average remediation cases taking approximately 34 weeks.
• BSR has formally separated from the Health and Safety Executive to become an arm’s-length body of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
• The transition includes a significant operational overhaul, with new measures such as an Innovation Unit, a Fast Track Process, bundled applications, dedicated account managers for major developers, and upgraded IT systems