A cross-party House of Lords Committee has warned the Government
that “unacceptable” delays caused by the Building Safety
Regulator's (BSR) approval processes is leaving residents waiting
for remediation of dangerous cladding in unsafe buildings and
increasing costs for leaseholders.
Whilst welcoming the increased scrutiny the Building Safety
Regulator has brought to the design, construction and management
of buildings in the interest of safety, the Industry and
Regulators Committee's report The Building Safety Regulator:
Building a better regulator, published today (Thursday 11
December) also warns that the delays mean the Government is in
danger of missing its target to build 1.5 million homes by 2029.
After hearing from a range of witnesses including representatives
of campaign groups and other organisations, developers, housing
associations and regulators which work closely with the BSR, the
Committee also found:
-
The BSR has not given clear enough guidance on how applicants
are supposed to demonstrate that their buildings are safe;
-
Many applications are being rejected or delayed due to basic
errors and applicants' inability to evidence how they are
considering elements of fire and structural safety, which
reflects poorly on the construction industry;
-
Many construction products do not have relevant product
standards, leaving them entirely unregulated;
-
Difficulties in local authority funding and the introduction
of regulation have left an ageing workforce of building
inspectors who are struggling to meet demand;
-
Despite these skills shortages, smaller works such as
bathroom renovations in high-rise buildings are being subject
to the scrutiny of the BSR's hard-pressed multidisciplinary
teams (MDTs).
the report is calling on:
-
The BSR to give greater guidance to its MDTs on how
compliance with the Building Regulations should be evidenced
and assessed to ensure greater consistency;
-
The Government to remove smaller works from the BSR's
building control approval processes, or introduce a
streamlined approval process for them;
-
The BSR to allocate the same MDTs to similar buildings or
projects built by the same organisation, which could improve
efficiency and consistency;
• The Government to provide long-term funding for the training of
new building and fire inspectors.
Chair of the Committee, Baroness 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.”
Notes to editors
-
The Committee launched its inquiry on 18 June 2025.
-
The committee Chair is Baroness . A list of all
committee members is available on the committee's website.
