BSR sees record year-end Gateway 2 determinations and an
increase in new building control applications following recent operational
changes
The Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) latest Gateway 2 (GW2) update shows a continued positive impact of its new processes; record year end determinations and an increasing number of new high-rise residential building control applications from industry.
Highlights to 22 December 2025:
- Overall Gateway 2 determinations continue to rise, with 347 decisions across all application types in December – totalling 727 since 29 September 2025.
- The final quarter of 2025 will see the highest number of decisions since BSR commenced operations, with a likely total of more than 700 by 31 December, compared to just over 200 in Quarter 1 – a potential 250%+ increase.
- The number of live applications of all categories now shows a downward trend, reducing from 1,219 to 1,158 over the past 12 weeks.
- 69% of all decisions across all Gateway 2 categories related to London cases – with 503 made in the capital over the past 12 weeks – the highest number of determinations in London since BSR commenced operations. Live London cases have also reduced from 791 to 740 in the same period.
- In the 12 weeks to 22 December, 94 Gateway 2 new build applications have been determined with an increasing number of new applications (101) received from industry.
- The recently established Innovation Unit (IU) has made 3 approvals to date, with a further 4 expected by 31 December and is now managing 102 new build applications representing 22,624 units.
- Good quality applications to the IU are now achieving approvals in around 12-13 weeks, with account managers liaising closely with applicants on cases likely to be approved once further information is supplied.
- Up to 22 December, gradually increasing numbers of new build applications (representing 22,261 residential units) have been received and determinations of 22,768 units issued, of which 15,117 were approvals. There are currently 37,773 units in live cases.
- A strong focus remains on resolving legacy cases, with the majority of decisions (54 out of 94) now made, with a further 4 cases likely to be decided by 31 December. The approval rate of these older cases continues to be high at 83%.
- BSR continues its pragmatic approach to dealing with remaining complex or contested legacy applications. These cases are being individually managed to resolution, rather than being rejected.
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has released its latest building control Gateway 2 update, demonstrating a continuing positive momentum against a backdrop of increasing applications for new high-rise residential building units.
Gateway 2 determinations continue to rise, with 347 decisions across all application types in the 12 weeks to 22 December – totalling 727 since 29 September 2025.
The final quarter of 2025 will see the highest number of decisions since BSR commenced operations, with a likely total of more than 700 by 31 December compared to just over 200 in Quarter 1 – a potential 250%+ increase.
The number of live applications of all categories now shows a downward trend, reducing from 1,219 to 1,158 over the past 12 weeks.
69% of all decisions across all categories during December related to London cases, making it 503 decisions since 29 September in the capital – the highest number of determinations in London since BSR commenced operations.
Recently, BSR also published guidance on staged applications and the criteria for validating, approving or rejecting applications.
These updates are part of the improvements the regulator is making to ensure applications can be processed more efficiently, and to support industry in submitting high-quality building control applications.
The Innovation Unit (IU), a dedicated team of registered building inspectors (RBIs), technical engineers and Regulatory Leads has made 3 approvals to date within 12 weeks, with another 4 approvals expected by 31 December.
For cases which are over 12 weeks but are likely to be approved if further information is supplied, we are taking a pragmatic approach. Account managers have been assigned to liaise closely with the applicants to give these cases the opportunity to progress.
The IU is currently managing 102 live new build applications, representing 24,624 units.
Times to validate and reject any incomplete applications are also much quicker than under the previous model, which enables applicants to quickly address issues and resubmit.
54 complex historic applications submitted under the previous model have been closed since 29 September, with 30 of these recent decisions relating to London cases. Another 4 cases are likely to be decided by 31 December.
BSR’s Operational Team’s direct engagement with applicants and regulatory partners, along with addressing individual ‘blockers’ is resulting in these historic complex cases being closed at a significant rate.
Remaining legacy applications are BSR’s key focus in the new year with face-to-face meetings continuing with regulatory partners and applicants in January. This is part of our pragmatic approach to dealing with complex or contested applications, rather than these cases being rejected without any intervention.
The regulator is also continuing to implement its batching process launched in September. This new pilot process scales capacity by bundling applications to specialised engineering services suppliers for accelerated assessment with a Regulatory Lead officer providing oversight and remaining the decision-maker.
Open remediation cases have held steady, with 82 decisions made since 29 September and 83 new cases received. 280 lives cases are now being processed.
BSR’s focus is on closing older applications which typically do not have sufficient detail for a decision and so require significant liaison with applicants to move to a successful conclusion. In parallel, BSR is also prioritising higher-risk projects and those with funding constraints.
Several remediation cases are now in the batching process and are progressing more quickly than the previous model.
Charlie Pugsley, Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator, said: "The immediate, positive results we saw from our pilot operational changes are now firmly established across BSR and show a clear path to continued success.
“We have made the most determinations in BSR’s operating history, cleared significant numbers of our complex historic cases by engaging with applicants, as well as publishing guidance on staged applications and continuing to build upon the work of our Innovation Unit.
“Across BSR, and we believe within industry too, there is a confidence we can continue to make more decisions at an increasing pace through our new processes and by engaging appropriately with applicants.
“But rightly, we continue to remain cautiously optimistic, as we know the pace of improvements must continue into 2026 and beyond.
“We all remain fully committed to supporting the pace of essential construction while upholding the critical safety standards there to keep thousands of people safe in both new and also existing homes.”
