A cross-party House of Lords committee has warned the government that “unacceptable” delays in the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) approval processes are leaving residents waiting for the remediation of unsafe cladding and driving up costs for leaseholders.
In a report published today (Thursday 11 December), The Building Safety Regulator: Building a Better Regulator, the Industry and Regulators Committee acknowledges the value of heightened scrutiny in the design, construction and management of buildings. However, it cautions that the current delays risk undermining the Government’s ability to meet its target of delivering 1.5 million new homes by 2029.
After hearing evidence from campaign groups, industry bodies, developers, housing associations and regulators working closely with the BSR, the Committee identified several persistent issues. It found that the BSR has not provided sufficiently clear guidance on how applicants should demonstrate that their buildings are safe.
As a result, many applications are being rejected or delayed due to basic errors or because applicants are unable to show how they have considered key elements of fire and structural safety – something the Committee says reflects poorly on standards across the construction industry.
The inquiry also highlighted gaps in regulation, noting that many construction products lack relevant product standards and therefore remain entirely unregulated. At the same time, pressures on local authority funding and the demands of the new regulatory framework have contributed to an ageing and overstretched workforce of building inspectors who are struggling to meet demand.
Despite these shortages, smaller works – such as bathroom renovations in high-rise buildings – are still being channelled through the BSR’s already stretched multidisciplinary teams (MDTs).
In response, the report calls for a series of reforms. It urges the BSR to provide clearer guidance to its MDTs on how compliance with Building Regulations should be evidenced and assessed, in order to ensure greater consistency. It also recommends that the government remove smaller works from the BSR’s approval regime, or introduce a simplified approval route for them.
The Committee further argues that assigning the same MDTs to similar buildings or projects delivered by the same organisation would improve efficiency and consistency. Finally, it calls on the Government to commit to long-term funding for the training of new building and fire inspectors.
Chair of the Committee, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, 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 and 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.”