Building control approval application data

BSR sees high volume of Gateway 2 decisions in first month of 2026 as it moves to a standalone organisation

BSR’s latest Gateway 2 update, published on the day it became a standalone body, shows a continued positive impact of new processes introduced last year, with increasing decisions and applications for new high-rise residential building control.

Illustrated laptop with a pie chart on the screen

Highlights to 24 January 2026

Overall Gateway 2 decisions continue to rise, with 698 decisions across all application types since 3 November 2025. The number of live applications of all categories is 1,159.
This follows 2025’s final quarter which saw the highest number of decisions (673) since BSR commenced operations.
68% of all decisions across all Gateway 2 categories related to London cases. With 476 made in the capital over the past 12 weeks.
In the 12 weeks to 24 January, 97 Gateway 2 new build applications have had decisions with 99 new applications received from industry.
New build applications representing 19,600 residential units were received and decisions on 19,914 units issued, with 11,962 approvals. There are currently 37,065 units in live cases.
52 decisions on outstanding legacy cases inherited under the previous model have been made since November. With 29 of them in London.
BSR is currently assessing whether the remaining 29 complex legacy cases warrant continued resources, or if they should be rejected to allow for new submissions.
BSR’s Innovation Unit (IU) has made 39 decisions, with 27 in London, during the past 12 weeks and is managing 111 new build applications.
The Unit is actively looking at further ways to support applicants during the submission process in addition to published guidance with a focus on reducing invalidations (applications lacking basic detail) while improving approval rates for safe applications.
Remediation cases are holding steady. However, to address challenges with application quality and resource efficiency, a Remediation Improvement Plan is set to be launched.

Early 2026 sees continued positive momentum

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has released its first building control Gateway 2 update of the year. The update demonstrates a continuing positive momentum against a backdrop of increasing applications for new high-rise residential building units.

The update comes as BSR moves to its standalone status. A significant step toward creating a single construction regulator – a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

January’s release shows that overall Gateway 2 decisions continue to rise. With 698 decisions across all application types in the 12 weeks to 24 January.

This follows the final quarter of 2025, which saw the highest number of decisions since BSR commenced operations with 673 by 31 December compared to just over 200 in early 2025 – a 250%+ increase. The number of live applications of all categories is 1,159.

68% of all decisions across all categories during January related to London cases. Making it 476 decisions in the capital since November.

Resolving historical cases

52 historic applications submitted under the previous model have been closed since November. With 29 of these recent decisions relating to London cases. The current approval rate is 87% for those viable to receive a decision.

The remaining 29 complex legacy cases are currently being assessed as to whether; after already having additional resources allocated to them as well as enhanced engagement and peer reviews, they are likely to result in successful outcomes, or whether it is now more appropriate to reject and invite a new submission.

Remediation Improvement Plan

75 remediation decisions been made since 3 November 2025 and 73 new cases received. 286 live cases are now being processed, representing 24,949 units.

Open remediation cases have held steady. With BSR’s resources prioritised toward high-risk projects, funding-constrained sites and the closure of legacy applications.

Poor application quality remains a significant hurdle. As BSR teams must spend extended periods securing missing technical details required to demonstrate compliance.

While the recent batching pilot has already delivered 12 decisions, we recognise current processes require further optimisation to improve these outcomes.

A Remediation Improvement Plan is being launched in the coming weeks to address application quality and streamline internal resources.

Innovation Unit (IU) progress

The Innovation Unit (IU), a dedicated team of registered building inspectors (RBIs), technical engineers and Regulatory Leads made 39 decisions, of which 27 were in London, during the past 12 weeks.

While the Unit’s workload has steadied, we anticipate an increase toward a 120 to 180 case steady state, with 5 recent approvals met within 13 weeks.

Of cases progressing past validation, 30% are approved and 41% rejected. While the remainder are under active management to resolve information gaps. Our continued focus is on increasing approval rates for safe applications.

However, high failure rates (56%) at the initial validation stage remain a concern, with basic design information being missing. This has prompted a review of how we support applicants on top of them following published guidance.

The IU is currently managing 111 live new build applications, representing 25,226 units. More than half (61) of those cases are for projects in the capital.

Batching pilot driving case resolution

By bundling new build and remediation applications for accelerated assessment through specialised engineering suppliers with BSR regulatory oversight, we successfully dispatched the first mixed-category bundle in late September. Weekly dispatches have followed, based on supplier availability.

In-house teams are continuing to manage most new build applications, using batching only for supplemental support.

While the model remains under evaluation, initial data confirms processing times are significantly faster than previous methods.

This integrated batching strategy is now a core component of our overall workflow and continues to drive the resolution of cases.

A new chapter for the Building Safety Regulator

Charlie Pugsley, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator, said:

This month marks a significant new chapter for BSR as a standalone body, with the knowledge that our new processes are driving improvements – evidenced by the fact we recently made the most decisions in our operating history.

“We are determined to build on this momentum by launching a Remediation Improvement Plan to tackle complex remediation cases and streamline resources.

“We will also be engaging even more closely with applicants to help improve the quality of new build HRB applications.

“By driving these improvements, we can ensure we keep essential construction projects being built, while upholding the critical safety standards that protect residents in both new and existing homes.”

Building Control Approval application data – to 24 January 2026