Reforms to Building Safety Regulator to accelerate housebuilding
Reforms to the Building Safety Regulator bring new leadership, investment and process to accelerate housebuilding
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New Fast Track Process to enhance the review of newbuild applications, unblock delays and boost sector confidence
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Measures will help delivery of 1.5 million safe, high-quality homes and speed up remediation
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Reforms pave the way for the creation of a single construction regulator, as recommended by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry
Delays to building new high-rise homes will be unblocked through a new package of reforms to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) announced today. These reforms, which include a new Fast Track Process, changes to leadership and fresh investment, aim to support the delivery of 1.5 million safe, high-quality homes and take early steps toward establishing a single construction regulator - a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Andy Roe KFSM has been appointed as non-executive chair of a new board of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to take on the functions of the BSR as part of initial steps towards creating a single construction regulator.
Andy brings a wealth of experience in safety regulation and leadership from his previous role as Commissioner of London Fire Brigade and he will be supported by a new Chief Executive Officer for the BSR, Charlie Pugsley.
Alex Norris, Minister for Building Safety, said:
“The establishment of the Building Safety Regulator has been fundamental to centralising safety in the construction process and it’s time to take the next steps to build on that precedent and create a system that works for the sector whilst keeping residents and their safety at the heart of the process.
“That’s why we’re announcing a package of reforms to the BSR today to enhance operations, reduce delays, and unlock the homes this country desperately needs – delivering on our Plan for Change.”
This new organisational structure reflects the government’s commitment to prioritising building safety in its drive to build 1.5m new homes, and builds on the strong foundation created by the HSE in establishing the BSR, which has played a pivotal role in placing raising safety standards across the sector.
To support industry in achieving the government’s ambitious housebuilding targets, the BSR is also introducing a new Fast Track Process which will bring building inspector and engineer capacity directly into the BSR to enhance the processing and review of existing newbuild cases and remediation decisions. This will respond to concerns in the sector around delays whilst crucially keeping building and residents’ safety at the core of the process.
Alongside these improvements, long-term investment in the capacity of the BSR is being bolstered with the addition of over 100 new members of staff to support with enhancing operations, reducing delays and supporting progress towards building 1.5m safe, high-quality homes as part of our Plan for Change.
Andy Roe, non-exec Chair of the BSR, said:
“The creation of the new Building Safety Regulator was a watershed moment for housing and construction in this country.
“However, it is also clear that the BSR processes’ need to continue to evolve and improve, to ensure that it plays its part in enabling the homes this country desperately needs to be built.
“I look forward to working with colleagues both in industry and the BSR to tackle the current issues and delays head on and help get those homes built safely.”
HSE Chair, Sarah Newton said:
“Setting up an entirely new regulator has been complex and huge progress has been made in a short space of time.
“Protecting residents and making sure there is never another tragedy like Grenfell has been our priority throughout this process. We wish the new BSR team well in this most important mission.
“We are very proud of the work we have done to establish the BSR. It was always an option that once the new regulator was established that it would move out of HSE to enable the Government to implement the Grenfell Public Inquiry recommendations and we will work hard to enable the smooth transition to the next stage.”
Notes to editors:
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Government and the BSR are also working constructively with the sector to help industry meet the BSR’s requirements and demonstrate compliance with the law to reduce the number of rejected and unsuccessful applications.
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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
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The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is an independent body established by the Building Safety Act, 2022 and is part of HSE. The government asked HSE to establish BSR in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster and following recommendations in the ‘Building a Safer Future’ report by Dame Judith Hackitt.
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A new arm’s length body to MHCLG is being established with the intention for this to take on the functions of the BSR from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in due course. Andy Roe has been appointed to a shadow board pending its establishment as Executive Agency.
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BSR regulates the safe design, construction and occupation of higher-risk buildings in England and provides oversight for the safety and standards of all buildings, promoting competence across industry.