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Transparency data

Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data April to June 2026

Published 1 July 2026

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-regulator-building-control-approval-application-data-april-to-june-2026/building-safety-regulator-building-control-approval-application-data-april-to-june-2026

All data is correct as of 28 June 2026 and provided by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

Introduction

As in previous months, this dataset includes information relating to gateway 2 performance in England. The London area performance is separate.

New information this month includes:

  • a summary of gateway 2 applications across all categories, with internal refurbishment as a separate category for the first time
  • new gateway 2 data for internal refurbishment and transitional applications
  • a change to the London versus regional breakdown to show all categories of application
  • revised data showing the overall numbers and breakdown of people working on building control applications, both within and outside of BSR
  • early performance indicators for gateway 3, mostly covering internal refurbishment works with no new builds via gateway 2 currently in scope

Gateway 2: headline numbers for April to June 2026

Status New higher-risk buildings (HRBs) and conversions External remediation HRB internal works (category A and B)
Cases in progress 138 342 952
Invalid or withdrawn 17 12 299
Decisions made 37 85 237
New in 57 103 517
Approval rate 89% 85% 73%
Median approval time 22 weeks 35 weeks 28 weeks
Units approved 6,544 4,998 Not applicable

All application categories

Week commencing New in Closed decisions Total cases in progress
6 Apr 47 40 1536
13 Apr 50 37 1549
20 Apr 62 62 1549
27 Apr 66 69 1546
4 May 78 51 1573
11 May 72 122 1523
18 May 57 89 1491
25 May 42 53 1480
1 Jun 80 59 1501
8 Jun 53 51 1503
15 Jun 50 49 1504
22 Jun 48 47 1505

Commentary

  • There are currently 1,505 gateway 2 applications in progress. The numbers have dropped slightly over the past 12 weeks.
  • These include the new build, external remediation and internal refurbishment applications.
  • Transitional cases are also included. These are projects that revert to BSR when the building control body that was originally overseeing the project stops trading. These cases are not generally straightforward to progress, as much of the evidence that we now expect at gateway 2 is unavailable.
  • There are currently 73 transitional cases in progress at gateway 2.

New HRBs and conversions (national)

New HRBs and conversions: new in versus closed decisions (national)​

Week commencing New in Closed decisions Total cases in progress
6 Apr 3 2 136
13 Apr 4 4 136
20 Apr 3 4 135
27 Apr 9 5 139
4 May 5 4 140
11 May 5 5 140
18 May 9 5 144
25 May 3 10 137
1 Jun 7 3 141
8 Jun 2 3 140
15 Jun 4 5 139
22 Jun 3 4 138

New HRBs and conversions: performance (national)

Description Total
New in 57
In progress 138
Units approved 6,544
Units in progress 30,383

New HRBs and conversions: percentages and weeks taken (national)

In the period, there were:

  • 37 decisions made
  • 17 invalid or withdrawn applications
  • 13 complex cases in progress with a median approval time of 32 weeks
Description Percentage Weeks taken (median) ​​
Rejections 11% 6
Approval 89% 22

Commentary

  • Out of 57 applications received over the past 12 weeks, 11 applications were invalidated and 6 withdrawn. Of the 37 decisions made, 33 were approvals and 4 were rejections.
  • The 12-week rolling approval rate (not including invalidations and withdrawals) has risen to 89%, with the median approval time at 22 weeks.
  • This data shows a mix of older and newer cases, as 3 applications were approved at 15 weeks in the last month.
  • Complex cases are now tracked separately. While the final decision is included in the rejection or approval totals, their median approval time is now at 32 weeks.
  • We continue to work closely with industry on a shared understanding of compliance as we try to reduce the number of complex cases in the system.
  • The overall combined total is 138, which is a slight decrease over the past month.

Remediation (national)

Remediation: new in versus closed decisions (national)

Week commencing New in Closed decisions Total cases in progress
6 Apr 6 2 340
13 Apr 7 3 344
20 Apr 17 3 358
27 Apr 9 13 354
4 May 8 5 357
11 May 7 4 360
18 May 9 8 361
25 May 9 7 363
1 Jun 10 16 357
8 Jun 9 12 354
15 Jun 6 15 345
22 Jun 6 9 342

Remediation: performance (national)

Description Total
New in 103
In progress 342
Units approved 4,998
Units in progress 30,962

Remediation: percentages and weeks taken (national)

In the period, there were:

  • 85 decisions made
  • 12 invalid or withdrawn applications
Description Percentage Weeks taken (median)
Rejections 15% 26
Approval 85% 35

Commentary

  • The rolling 12-week approval rate has risen to 85%, with the median approval time remaining at 35 weeks. This is due to the inclusion of older cases, as decisions continue to be made on applications that have been in the system for some time.
  • 14 legacy applications made in 2024 now remain, down from 42 at the start of 2026.
  • Work continues with the sector to help applicants improve the quality of applications. Data shows that applications submitted in October to December 2025 are progressing through the system faster than earlier applications. However, the approval time based on the rolling total includes 2024 to 2025 applications being cleared. This contributes to the higher figure.
  • New guidance setting out the level of detail expected in applications and common shortfalls was published on 22 June 2026.

HRB internal works (national)​

HRB internal works: new in versus closed decisions (national)

Week commencing New in Closed decisions Total cases in progress
6 Apr 36 34 973
13 Apr 37 30 980
20 Apr 40 53 967
27 Apr 47 49 965
4 May 60 35 990
11 May 58 105 943
18 May 36 70 909
25 May 28 33 904
1 Jun 61 35 930
8 Jun 36 32 934
15 Jun 39 26 947
22 Jun 39 34 952

HRB internal works: performance (national)

Description Total
New in 517
In progress 952
Decisions made 237
Invalid / withdrawn 299

HRB internal works: percentages and weeks taken (national)

In the period, there were:

  • 237 decisions made
  • 299 invalid or withdrawn applications
Description Percentage Weeks taken (median)
Rejections 27% 25
Approval 73% 28

Commentary

  • The approval rate for internal refurbishment works in category A and B is currently 73%, with a median determination time for approvals of 28 weeks.
  • New applications have been received at an average rate of around 43 per week over the past 12 weeks. Using the current median determination period of 28 weeks this suggests that the overall total should be around 1,200 to 1,250 applications.
  • As determination times reduce, the total number of applications in progress would be expected to reduce accordingly.
  • The overall combined total is currently 952 and has decreased slightly over the past 12 weeks.
  • HRB internal work determinations over the past 12 weeks account for around 64% of all gateway 2 decisions. These applications include all internal refurbishment works, as well as NHS applications.

Gateway 2: regional distribution​

Data as of the 28 June 2026.​

Regional gateway 2 applications (London)

Region New HRBs and conversions External remediation Internal works Transitional Total
London 89 192 619 0 900
Rest of country 41 149 316 0 506

Regional gateway 2 applications (rest of England)

Region New HRBs and conversions External remediation HRB internal works Transitional Total
East 0 21 37 0 58
East Midlands 0 10 24 0 34
North East 0 6 36 0 42
North West 19 49 32 0 100
South East 9 31 46 0 86
South West 4 16 69 0 89
West Midlands 5 5 29 0 39
Yorkshire and The Humber 4 11 43 0 58

New HRBs and conversions (London)

New HRBs and conversions: new in versus closed decisions (London)

Week commencing New in Closed decisions Total cases in progress
6 Apr 3 1 82
13 Apr 3 3 82
20 Apr 2 1 83
27 Apr 5 2 86
4 May 4 3 87
11 May 5 3 89
18 May 7 4 92
25 May 3 4 91
1 Jun 4 2 93
8 Jun 1 2 92
15 Jun 1 4 89
22 Jun 2 2 89

New HRBs and conversions: performance (London)

Description Total
New in 40
In progress 89
Units approved 3,559
Units in progress 17,010

New HRBs and conversions: percentages and weeks taken (London)

In the period, there were:

  • 22 decisions made
  • 6 invalid or withdrawn applications
  • 7 complex cases in progress with a median approval time of 29 weeks
Description Percentage Weeks taken (median)
Rejections 9% 6
Approval 91% 22

Commentary

  • Around 59% of in-progress new build applications are in London.
  • This also represents around 55% of the overall new build residential units handled by BSR.
  • 20 of the 28 new build decisions made in the last 12 weeks are in London.
  • London approval rates are 91%. This figure shows significant work to resolve outstanding complex cases.
  • Approval time for non-complex cases is 22 weeks, the same as the national average.

External remediation (London)

External remediation: new in versus closed decisions (London)

Week commencing New in Closed decisions Total cases in progress
6 Apr 3 1 183
13 Apr 15 1 185
20 Apr 1 2 198
27 Apr 6 8 191
4 May 4 2 195
11 May 7 1 198
18 May 6 4 201
25 May 6 3 204
1 Jun 4 10 200
8 Jun 4 4 200
15 Jun 2 9 195
22 Jun 0 5 192

External remediation: performance (London)

Description Total
New in 58
In progress 192
Units approved 2,094
Units in progress 17,259

External remediation: percentages and weeks taken (London)

In the period, there were:

  • 44 decisions made
  • 6 invalid or withdrawn applications
Description Percentage Weeks taken (median)
Rejections 14% 26
Approval 86% 36

Commentary

  • Open remediation cases in London have increased from 184 to 192 over the period.
  • The BSR remediation improvement plan was announced in April 2026.
  • BSR has already made progress, with 14 legacy 2024 applications now remaining, down from 42 at the start of 2026.
  • The median approval time reflects our ambition to close older 2024 to 2025 applications. This is skewing the overall median approval times.
  • Applications submitted in 2026 are being determined much more quickly.
  • 2026 approval rates already exceed the greater than 65% target for 2026 at 86%.
  • London approval rates of 86% are slightly higher than they are nationally.

HRB internal works (London)

HRB internal works: new in versus closed decisions (London)

Week commencing New in Closed decisions Total cases in progress
6 Apr 22 27 631
13 Apr 27 19 639
20 Apr 25 28 636
27 Apr 27 28 635
4 May 27 22 640
11 May 25 72 593
18 May 23 38 578
25 May 23 21 580
1 Jun 36 24 592
8 Jun 25 15 602
15 Jun 31 19 614
22 Jun 26 21 619

HRB internal works: performance (London)

Description Total
New in 317
In progress 619

HRB internal works: percentages and weeks taken (London)

In the period, there were:

  • 141 decisions made
  • 193 invalid or withdrawn applications
Description Percentage Weeks taken (median)
Rejections 26% 26
Approval 74% 28

Commentary

  • The approval rate for internal refurbishment works in category A and B is currently 74%, with a median determination time for approvals of 28 weeks. This is very similar to the national average.
  • The overall combined total is less than expected. It is currently sitting at 619, having decreased slightly over the past 12 weeks.
  • HRB internal work determinations over the past 12 weeks account for around 64% of gateway 2 decisions. These applications include all internal refurbishment works, as well as NHS applications.

Building control resources: people working on building control applications

Week commencing Internal resources External resources Total resources
6 Apr 90 206 296
13 Apr 93 239 332
20 Apr 95 249 344
27 Apr 99 246 345
4 May 90 240 330
11 May 94 247 341
18 May 100 256 356
25 May 89 235 324
1 Jun 100 275 375
8 Jun 108 269 377
15 Jun 111 245 356
22 Jun 115 220 335

Building control resources: performance

Description Total
Internal resources 152
External resources 493
Integrated resources 64

Building control resources: resource breakdown

Internal resources

Description Total
Regulatory leads 91
Principal regulatory leads 15
Case officers 43
Case officer managers 3

External resources

Description Total
Registered building inspectors (RBIs) 222
Fire service professionals 108
Structural engineers 125
Specialists 38

Integrated resources

Description Total
Registered building inspectors (RBIs) 36
Fire service professionals 8
Structural engineers 20

Commentary

  • Sufficient internal, external and integrated resources are essential for BSR to meet demand.
  • Internal regulatory teams have grown by 25 people over the past 3 months and recruitment activity is continuing over the next 6 to 12 months.
  • 152 internal staff members have been involved in building control applications, including 91 regulatory leads, 15 principal regulatory leads, 43 case officers and 3 case officer managers.
  • 493 people from external organisations have been involved in building control applications, including registered building inspectors, fire service professionals, structural engineers and specialists.
  • Of the 493 external resources, 64 are integrated into BSR’s Innovation Unit or external remediation teams. This includes 36 registered building inspectors, 8 fire service professionals and 20 structural engineers.

Building control integrated resources

BSR has several specialist resources working as part of an integrated workforce within the new build and external remediation teams. We are growing this capacity to meet demand and reduce processing times.

Note that full-time equivalent (FTE) is an aggregated total of staff availability, as some people are available fewer than 5 days per week.

Resource FTE as of 29 June Headcount as of 29 June July forecast (FTE) August forecast (FTE) September forecast (FTE)
Registered building inspectors 23.9 36 27.2 31 36
Structural engineers 18.2 20 18.2 20.2 23.2
Fire service professionals and engineers 8 8 8 8 13
Total 50.1 64 53.4 59.2 72.2

Gateway 3 applications

Data as of the 28 June 2026.​

Gateway 3 applications: application types

Application type New in Approvals Units approved In progress
New HRBs and conversions 0 0 0 0
External remediation 4 3 325 6
HRB internal works 31 17 Not applicable 98
Transitional 3 6 Not applicable 25

Gateway 3 applications: new in versus closed applications

Week commencing New in Closed applications Total cases in progress
6 Apr 0 8 132
13 Apr 2 0 129
20 Apr 1 4 124
27 Apr 5 6 121
4 May 1 2 122
11 May 5 4 123
18 May 5 4 122
25 May 7 1 127
1 Jun 3 1 126
8 Jun 2 0 124
15 Jun 7 0 130
22 Jun 0 0 129

Gateway 3 applications: performance

Description Total
Applications in progress 129
Approvals 26
Applications received 38

Commentary

  • While no new build projects that have passed through gateway 2 have yet reached gateway 3, a significant number of internal refurbishment projects have already progressed through gateway 2.
  • Of the 277 gateway 3 applications received, 221 are category A or B refurbishment projects, with most of the remainder being transitional cases.
  • Of the refurbishment cohort, 124 applications have been determined with an approval rate of 86% and a median determination time of 16 weeks.
  • The quickest determination time recorded was 8 weeks.
  • Gateway 3 remains an important area for BSR, particularly for new build projects. Determination times are expected to reduce as new processes are introduced and additional resource becomes available.
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