BLOGS

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR), established under the Building Safety Act 2022, is embarking on an ambitious programme to accelerate the assessment and approval of high-risk buildings across England. For an industry still navigating the post-Grenfell regulatory landscape, these operational reforms signal a potential turning point—both for building safety standards and for housing delivery.

The scale of the challenge

High-risk buildings (HRBs)—defined as residential buildings at least 18 metres tall or with seven or more storeys—represent a critical segment of the UK's housing stock. REalyse data shows over 3,200 planning applications for residential developments of seven or more storeys across England, with Central London alone accounting for more than 1,200 schemes. Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, and Merseyside follow as key high-rise development corridors.

Yet the path from planning approval to completion has become increasingly protracted. Roughly one-third of approved high-rise schemes remain in pre-tender or early contract stages, suggesting significant delays between gaining consent and breaking ground. For investors and developers, this translates to extended holding costs, uncertain timelines, and capital tied up in schemes awaiting regulatory clearance.

The BSR's gateway process—requiring approval at design, construction, and completion stages—was designed to ensure safety. However, industry bodies have voiced concerns that understaffing and procedural bottlenecks have created unintended delays, with some applications waiting months beyond target timescales.

What the BSR's reforms entail

The Regulator's plan to accelerate HRB remediation focuses on several operational improvements:

Streamlined assessment processes

The BSR is introducing clearer guidance on submission requirements and standardised documentation, reducing the back-and-forth that has plagued early applications. Pre-application engagement is being expanded, allowing developers to identify potential issues before formal submission.

Increased capacity and expertise

Recruitment of additional building inspectors and fire safety specialists aims to address the capacity constraints that have contributed to backlogs. The BSR has acknowledged that early-stage resourcing fell short of application volumes.

Risk-based prioritisation

Rather than processing applications strictly by submission date, the BSR is adopting a risk-based approach. Buildings with identified safety defects or those housing vulnerable residents may receive expedited review, while lower-risk new builds follow standard timelines.

Digital transformation

Investment in digital systems for application tracking and document management should improve transparency for applicants and reduce administrative delays. Developers will gain better visibility into application status and expected decision timescales.

Market implications for developers and investors

For the residential development sector, faster HRB approvals could release a wave of stalled projects. REalyse planning data indicates that across major urban centres, a significant share of high-rise residential schemes have secured planning consent but remain stuck at pre-construction stages.

In Central London, where land values and construction costs make high-rise development the dominant delivery model, roughly one-third of consented schemes have yet to progress to contract award. Greater Manchester shows similar patterns, with over 60 approved schemes awaiting progression.

The implications extend beyond individual schemes. Institutional investors in build-to-rent and purpose-built student accommodation—sectors heavily reliant on high-rise delivery—face portfolio concentration risks when projects cluster in approval queues. Lenders underwriting development finance must factor regulatory timelines into loan terms and covenant structures.

Conversely, successful acceleration could unlock substantial housing supply. If even a fraction of stalled schemes moved to construction start within the next 12-18 months, the boost to housing delivery in undersupplied urban markets would be meaningful.

Remediation of existing stock

Beyond new builds, the BSR's reforms address the substantial remediation backlog affecting existing high-rise buildings. Post-Grenfell assessments identified thousands of buildings requiring cladding replacement or fire safety upgrades. Many leaseholders remain unable to sell or remortgage properties in buildings awaiting safety certification.

The Regulator's commitment to expediting Building Assessment Certificates for remediated buildings should help restore market liquidity to affected properties. REalyse market data continues to show valuation discounts for flats in buildings with outstanding fire safety concerns, particularly in outer London boroughs and regional cities where high-rise stock expanded rapidly during the 2000s.

For estate agents and mortgage brokers, clearer timelines on remediation certification could simplify conversations with clients in affected buildings. The ability to provide evidence-based guidance on likely certification dates—supported by BSR's improved tracking systems—would represent a significant improvement on current uncertainty.

What to watch

Several factors will determine whether the BSR's operational reforms deliver their intended impact:

• Sustained resourcing: Additional staff are only effective if retention matches recruitment. The technical expertise required for HRB assessment is scarce, and the BSR will compete with private sector employers.

• Developer response: Faster approvals only translate to housing delivery if developers have the capital and appetite to progress schemes. Elevated construction costs and interest rates may constrain appetite regardless of regulatory improvements.

• Consistency across gateways: The three-gateway model means delays can occur at multiple points. Improvements at one stage must be matched across the process to achieve meaningful acceleration.

• Fire safety product availability: Some remediation works depend on specialist materials and contractors in limited supply. Regulatory acceleration may expose supply chain constraints.

Conclusion

The Building Safety Regulator's plan to accelerate high-risk building approvals represents a pragmatic response to legitimate industry concerns about delay. For a housing market grappling with undersupply in key urban centres, unlocking stalled high-rise schemes could make a material difference.

However, regulatory efficiency is only one piece of the puzzle. Market conditions, construction costs, and developer confidence will ultimately determine whether faster approvals translate to homes delivered. Investors and developers should monitor BSR performance metrics closely, while recognising that the broader environment for high-rise residential development remains challenging.

REalyse continues to track planning pipeline data across all building types and geographies, providing the market intelligence needed to identify opportunities and assess risk in the evolving regulatory landscape.