The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has set new targets for decisions for its gateway 2 and remediation approval processes as part of a new strategic plan for the next 12 months.
Building with scaffolding and green safety net
In its 2026-2027 strategic plan, the BSR states that by the end of March 2027 it expects to take 18 weeks or less to respond to a gateway 2 application for a new building in non-complex cases, with a targeted approval rating of 65%.
For remediations, it expects to take 12 weeks or less to respond to an application in non-complex cases and expects applications to have an approval rating of 65%.
Samantha Dixon, minister for building safety, said the plan sets out the regulator’s “ambition for the year ahead” as the BSR enters “the next phase of delivery”.
She added: “It demonstrates how continued progress in building safety will go hand in hand with growth, while delivering meaningful improvements to the experience of residents in their homes.”
The strategy also acknowledges that applications for gateway 3, the final approval stage before occupation, are also likely to rise as the gateway 2 backlog rises. It states “we are clear that we do not want safe buildings to be empty because of administrative delays we cause”, adding it has learned lessons from the gateway 2 process.
The BSR said it will need to conduct an increasing amount of in-build site inspections as housing delivery increases, although it highlighted a national shortage of registered building inspectors (RBIs), with the regulator exploring ways to support the industry in attracting talent.
The strategic plan was published alongside the regulator’s latest building control data, covering Q1 2026.
It revealed that approval rates for gateway 2 applications have risen to 67% during the period after its new ‘batching’ initiative proved to be “significantly quicker” than previous processes.
Processing times under the batching model are “outperforming the previous multi-disciplinary model” in the gateway 2 process, the BSR said.
Launched in September 2025 as the original process failed to keep up with the volume of applications, the batching pilot initiative bundles up packages of applications to be overseen by an external engineering firm, with the BSR retaining oversight.
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