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Our latest building control Gateway 2 (GW2) update demonstrates the sustained positive impact of our pilot processes for high-rise residential building control applications.
Highlights to 24 November:
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a record 272 decisions were made during October
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76% of all decisions related to London cases
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determinations had a 73% approval rate with many utilising the recently enhanced 'approval with requirements' route
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40 historic applications were closed between August and November
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167 new build applications, comprising 36,023 housing units across England are currently progressing
To 24 November, a further 9 historic determinations have been made and now assessed as ready for 'approval with requirements'. The majority of the remaining 54 historic applications are still projected to follow by the new year.
In early November, the court made winding-up orders against:
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Assent Building Control Compliance Limited
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LB Building Control Limited
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Oculus Building Consultancy Limited
The Official Receiver was appointed as liquidator and LB and Oculus issued cancellation notices to customers for all live projects.
In accordance with Section 58Q of the Building Act 1984, the Official Receiver applied for the cancellation of LB and Oculus’ registration as registered building control approvers (RBCAs). Both companies have been removed from the RBCA Registers (England and Wales).
All non-higher-risk building projects revert to the local authority, unless an alternative registered building control approver is chosen by the project owner. All higher-risk building projects will revert to BSR.
On 11 November, draft regulations were laid before the house to move functions of BSR out of HSE.
They will move to an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
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position BSR for the coming years
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strengthen lines of accountability
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give a dedicated focus to BSR operations
The move will also be an important step towards establishing a single construction regulator. This was the lead recommendation of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report.
We are seeking an independent Chair for our Building Advisory Committee (BAC).
The successful candidate will demonstrate proven leadership to drive the BAC, which advises BSR on building functions, focusing on:
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engagement to inspire change
The BAC operates via a high-level steering group and dedicated subgroups.
This is an ongoing fixed-term appointment for up to three years. Applications close midday on Monday 5 January 2026.
We recently published our annual statement of resident engagement for 2024/2025.
This was a year where we became fully operational under the Building Safety Act 2022, placing resident safety at the forefront.
Over 20,000 enquiries were processed, including 1,300 high-risk safety concerns from residents. These were thoroughly investigated, often resulting in necessary remedial actions, or in some cases further enforcement action.
Our statutory Residents’ Panel provided crucial insight to inform our work, including contributions to our ‘Your Home, Your Safety’ campaign and research to improve engagement with all high-rise residents.
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