A ‘significant number’ of ‘poor quality’ applications has contributed to delays in the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) vetting planning applications for higher-risk buildings (HRBs), a minister has said.
Long waits to secure Gateway 2 approval from the BSR have been identified by the National House Building Council as the main factor behind a 38% drop in home registrations in London, where apartments make up a bigger share of new-build properties.
In a written answer to a parliamentary question, issued on 7 May, building safety minister Alex Norris said: ‘A significant number of poor-quality applications that do not meet the regulatory standard are contributing to overall processing times, resulting in delays.’ The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) recognises that recently introduced changes to building safety approval are ‘still bedding in’, he added, but ‘the sector must also take responsibility for the projects it delivers’.
The BSR is rejecting around 70% of applications because they don’t meet the legal requirements and 44% are turned down at the validation stage, often because of the absence of ‘basic’ information. In a video on the BSR website, chief inspector of building safety Philip White said the BSR is having to reject applications for ‘fundamental failures’ and ‘significant life safety matters’, such as buildings not being tied together properly and corridors not being wide enough to enable evacuation to take place.
Norris told Shadow Secretary of State for housing Kevin Hollinrake that the MHCLG and BSR are prioritising improvements in the rate of applications so they can progress through the system ‘first time, lessening the rate of invalidated and rejected applications’.
The MHCLG is also exploring ‘all possible options’ with the BSR to ensure it is equipped for the high volume of applications it is receiving, he added.
The Nottingham North MP said the benefits of additional funding for building control caseworkers and in-house technical specialists at the BSR should scale up’ in the coming months.
Norris hosted a roundtable with the BSR and developers on 28 April, to discuss industry’s concerns, and the regulator meets weekly with the Construction Leadership Council to resolve issues with Gateway processes.
