Transparency data

Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data December 2025 to February 2026

Updated 11 March 2026

Applies to England

All data is correct as of 25 February 2026 and provided by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

Gateway 2: Priority headline numbers for new build

Status	Legacy cases	Innovation Unit	Legacy transitional cases	Total
New cases received	0	82	0	82
Decisions made	57	48	3	108
Live cases as of 1 Oct	91	27	34	152
Live cases as of 25 Feb	3	123	29	155

​ Total number of units in new cases received 15,178 ​

​

 ​ Total number of units in decisions made 23,197 ​

​

 ​ Total number of units in live cases as of 25 February 31,191 ​

Commentary

• In the 12-week rolling period to 25 February, 108 new build applications have been determined with 82 new applications received.
• Legacy cases have reduced to 3 with 18 long-term cases with significant technical challenges transferred to a complex case category. This is where account managers work closely with applicants to try and progress to a successful outcome and to deliver safe homes.
• In the Innovation Unit (IU), we have changed the calculation method this month to better reflect the application progress. This shows that, for applications that successfully pass validation, the approval rate is currently 33% (up from 30% last month). A further 30% of cases are subject to account management interventions, as we continue to work to reach an approval despite the application progressing beyond 12 weeks.
• Over the past 12 weeks new applications representing 15,178 residential units have been received. Applications representing 23,197 units have been determined, of which 10,514 were approvals. There are currently 31,191 units in live cases.

Innovation Unit: new in versus decisions (national)​

Week commencing	New in	Decisions	Total live cases
8 Dec	11	5	95
15 Dec	21	9	107
22 Dec	7	8	106
29 Dec	1	0	107
5 Jan	5	4	108
12 Jan	4	0	112
19 Jan	7	1	118
26 Jan	7	16	109
2 Feb	6	2	113
9 Feb	3	0	116
16 Feb	9	1	124
23 Feb	1	2	123

Innovation Unit: performance totals (national)​

Description	Total
New in	82​
Live	123
Units approved	2,336 ​
Units in progress	26,224 ​

Innovation Unit: performance percentages and weeks taken (national)​

There were a total of 27 decisions made, taking a median time of 18 weeks.​

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median) ​​
Withdrawn	4%	12​
Rejections	33%	11 ​
Decision made, with account manager	30%	25​​
Approval	33%	18

Commentary

• The head of work in the IU has risen slightly to 123. We expect this to rise further before stabilising.

• In response to stakeholder feedback, we have changed our calculation method this month to better show how applications progress. Invalidation numbers are the ‘new’ applications that have failed validation in the last 12 weeks. The percentages of withdrawn, rejections and approvals are then shown as a proportion of the total number of applications that have passed validation.

• In total, 11 applications have been approved with the median approval time now at 18 weeks.

• We have seen the median approval time increase to 18 weeks. This is a consequence of applications that have moved into account management post-12 weeks reaching a successful outcome.

How we are accelerating work to drive down approval times

We are:

• enhancing consistency conventions to address areas of technical dispute between experts
• exploring third-party independent validation of key design elements
• accelerating the onboarding of specialists when needed (for example, geo-spatial engineers or computer modelling specialists)

Legacy cases: new in versus decisions (national)

Week commencing	New in	Decisions	Total live cases
8 Dec	0	2	58
15 Dec	0	16	42​
22 Dec	0	4	38​
29 Dec	0	0	38​
5 Jan	0	4	34
12 Jan	0	0	34
19 Jan	0	2	32
26 Jan	0	21	11
2 Feb	0	1	10
9 Feb	0	3	7
16 Feb	0	4	3
23 Feb	0	0	3

Legacy cases: performance (national)

Description	Total
New in	0
Live	3
Units approved	7,127
Units in progress	895

Legacy cases: performance percentages and weeks taken (national)

There were a total of 57 decisions made.

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Withdrawn	4%	43
Rejections	12%	36
Decision made, with account manager	32%	37
Approval	53%	39

Commentary

• The backlog of legacy new build cases has almost been cleared. From 60 at the start of December to just 3 ‘regular’ cases remaining and a small cohort of 18 technically complex applications which are now being dealt with via a complex case process.

• The complex case process allows us to work through particularly challenging technical issues with applicants to try and reach successful outcomes and support the delivery of safe homes.

• This will be the last month that we will report on this category of application in this way.

Remediation: new in versus decisions (national)

Week commencing	New in	Decisions	Total live cases
8 Dec	8	4	299
15 Dec	23	13	309
22 Dec	4	8	305
29 Dec	1	2	304
5 Jan	3	4	303
12 Jan	6	5	304
19 Jan	4	8	300
26 Jan	6	15	291
2 Feb	8	9	290
9 Feb	4	10	284
16 Feb	10	10	284
23 Feb	0	5	279

Remediation: performance (national)

Description	Total
New in	77
Live	279
Units approved	5,712
Units in progress	24,282

Remediation: performance percentages and weeks taken (national)

There were a total of 86 decisions made.

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Withdrawn	9%	38
Rejections	38%	23
Decision made, with account manager	0%	Not applicable
Approval	48%	31

Commentary

• The level of approvals has increased slightly to 48% while the average approval time has decreased from 34 to 31 weeks.

• Open remediation cases have declined over the last 12 weeks.

• We remain focused on closing out older applications submitted at the start of the regime which typically do not contain sufficient detail for a decision and so require significant effort to move through to a successful conclusion.

• In parallel, we focus on higher -risk projects and those where there is a funding constraint.

• Remediation applications are often missing important elements of detail needed to demonstrate compliance. In response to this, we will be publishing specific remediation guidance in the coming weeks alongside improved feedback and support for applicants.

• This month, we will also introduce a more detailed remediation improvement plan which will set out how we intend to bolster resources, improve processes and work with applicants to improve application quality.

• The batching method continues to be used to support rapid initial assessment of remediation applications.

Gateway 2: All categories (national)

All categories: new in versus decisions (national)

Week commencing	New in	Decisions	Total live cases
8 Dec	66	58	1,204
15 Dec	105	121	1,188
22 Dec	37	59	1,166
29 Dec	8	11	1,163
5 Jan	59	44	1,178
12 Jan	60	41	1,197
19 Jan	47	49	1,195
26 Jan	74	86	1,183
2 Feb	62	48	1,197
9 Feb	59	37	1,219
16 Feb	62	57	1,224
23 Feb	16	28	1,212

All categories: performance (national)

Description	Total
New in	655
Live	1,212

All categories: performance percentages and weeks taken (national)

There were a total of 366 decisions made.

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Withdrawn	14%	33
Rejections	17%	25
Decision made, with account manager	7%	33
Approval	49%	30

Commentary

• The number of live applications of all categories at gateway 2 remains relatively flat.

• New applications marginally exceeded the number of decisions made over the past 12 weeks with a total of 639 closed applications against 655 new applications.

• Category A and B applications account for circa over 75% of gateway 2 volume of decisions.

Gateway 2: Regional distribution​

Data as of the 25 February 2026.​

Regional gateway 2 applications (London)​

Region	Innovation Unit	Legacy cases	Remediation	Total
London	69	2	156	227
Rest of country	50	1	123	174

​

Regional gateway 2 applications (rest of England)​

Region	Innovation Unit	Legacy cases	Remediation	Total
East	1	0	13	14
East Midlands	1	0	15	16
North-east	1	0	8	9
North-west	22	0	31	53
South-east	6	0	17	23
South-west	3	0	12	15
West Midlands	3	1	12	16
Yorkshire and The Humber	13	0	15	28

Gateway 2: Innovation Unit (London)

Innovation Unit: new in versus decisions (London)

Week commencing	New in	Decisions	Total live cases
8 Dec	7	4	42
15 Dec	14	5	51
22 Dec	5	5	51
29 Dec	1	0	52
5 Jan	4	3	53
12 Jan	3	0	56
19 Jan	5	0	61
26 Jan	5	5	61
2 Feb	3	0	64
9 Feb	0	0	64
16 Feb	4	0	68
23 Feb	1	0	69

Innovation Unit: performance (London)

Description	Total
New in	52
Live	69
Units approved	249
Units in progress	13,075

Innovation Unit: performance percentages and weeks taken (London)

There were a total of 10 decisions made.

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Withdrawn	0%	Not applicable
Rejections	40%	13
Decision made, with account manager	30%	27
Approval	30%	12

Commentary

• Around half of the current live IU applications are in London.

• This also represents around 50% of the overall residential units handled by the IU.

• 10 of the 27 decisions that the IU has made in the last 12 weeks are in London.

• London approval rates are slightly lower than nationally.

Gateway 2: Legacy cases (London)

Legacy cases: new in versus decisions (London)

Week commencing	New in	Decisions	Total live cases
8 Dec	0	1	34
15 Dec	0	9	25
22 Dec	0	3	22
29 Dec	0	0	22
5 Jan	0	0	22
12 Jan	0	0	22
19 Jan	0	2	20
26 Jan	0	13	7
2 Feb	0	0	7
9 Feb	0	2	5
16 Feb	0	3	2
23 Feb	0	0	2

Legacy cases: performance (London)

Description	Total
New in	0
Live	2
Units approved	3,592
Units in progress	749

Legacy cases: performance percentages and weeks taken (London)

There were a total of 33 decisions made.

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Withdrawn	6%	43
Rejections	12%	54
Decision made, with account manager	33%	37
Approval	48%	44

Commentary

• Legacy cases in London have reduced sharply, mirroring the national picture.

• From 35 live cases in December 2025, the cohort has reduced to 2, with 12 cases transferred to the complex case category where they will be closely managed.

• 3,592 residential units have been approved.

Gateway 2: Remediation (London)

Remediation: new in versus decisions (London)

Week commencing	New in	Decisions	Total live cases
8 Dec	5	2	163
15 Dec	12	6	169
22 Dec	2	2	169
29 Dec	0	1	168
5 Jan	2	2	168
12 Jan	2	4	166
19 Jan	2	5	163
26 Jan	1	6	158
2 Feb	4	4	158
9 Feb	2	4	156
16 Feb	7	5	158
23 Feb	0	2	156

Remediation: performance (London)

Description	Total
New in	39
Live	156
Units approved	3,003
Units in progress	11,465

Remediation: performance percentages and weeks taken (London)

There were a total of 41 decisions made.

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Withdrawn	15%	36
Rejections	46%	27
Decision made, with account manager	0%	Not applicable
Approval	39%	37

Commentary

• Open remediation cases in London have decreased slightly over the period from 160 to 156.

• We recognise that application quality, alongside improvements in BSR processes and resources are needed, and we will be bringing forward a BSR remediation improvement plan in the coming weeks detailing how we intend to achieve this.

Gateway 2: All categories (London)

All categories: new in versus decisions (London)

Week commencing	New in	Decisions	Total live cases
8 Dec	40	44	762
15 Dec	76	86	752
22 Dec	28	40	740
29 Dec	6	6	740
5 Jan	38	27	751
12 Jan	34	27	758
19 Jan	30	33	755
26 Jan	47	49	753
2 Feb	35	28	760
9 Feb	33	17	776
16 Feb	38	33	781
23 Feb	8	14	775

All categories: performance (London)

Description	Total
New in	413
Live	775

All categories: performance percentages and weeks taken (London)

There were a total of 239 decisions made.

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Withdrawn	23%	49
Rejections	31%	27
Decision made, with account manager	5%	35
Approval	41%	29

Commentary

• The number of live London applications of all categories at gateway 2 shows a slight increase, from 766 to 775 over the past 12 weeks.

*A total of 404 applications have been closed, set against 413 new applications received.

• 65% of all decisions across all gateway 2 categories in the past 12 weeks related to London cases.

*Category A and B applications account for around 75% of gateway 2 volume of decisions in London.

Building control: Batching pilot

Batch volumes: cases allocated by batch number

Batch number	New build	Refurbs	Remediation	Total
1	12	27	10	49
2	0	32	14	46
3	8	20	8	36
4	23	46	18	87
5	5	33	17	55
6	4	46	17	67
7	28	60	42	130
8	8	33	13	55
9	9	12	9	30
10	3	17	19	49
11	0	24	15	39
12	11	19	3	33
13	11	22	26	59
14	6	19	24	49
15	12	5	3	20
16	16	34	19	69
17	1	0	0	1
18	10	3	4	17
19	3	14	17	34

Commentary

• The data shown in this and following slides is a subset of the overall data shown on earlier slides – for example, batching is part of the overall process, not additional.

• A pilot batching process was launched during September 2025, acknowledging that the original multi-disciplinary team (MDT) model was not effective for managing the volume of cases across all categories of application.

• This new pilot process scales capacity by bundling applications to specialised engineering services suppliers for accelerated assessment, with BSR maintaining regulatory oversight. The primary goal of batching is to accelerate backlog resolution in new build and remediation applications.

• The first of these mixed-category bundles (26 cases) was sent to suppliers on 30 September 2025. Weekly dispatch of subsequent bundles have been, and continue to be, based on supplier capacity.

• Initial processing times for applications allocated to batching is significantly quicker than under the previous model.

• The model follows a process where batches are issued to suppliers, they then have a limited time to accept or reject the cases in the allocation based on their capacity and any conflicts of interest. Once accepted, suppliers then have a defined period to return their assessments for consideration by BSR’s regulatory leads.

Batching pilot performance: new builds

Issued	Not yet accepted	Accepted	Returned	Decision made
206	91	115	50	26

​ Median weeks from issued to return 4 ​

​

​ Median weeks from issued to decision 7 ​

​

Batched new build decisions

Decision made	Percentage
Approval	27%
Approval with requirements	19% ​
Rejection	46%
Withdrawn	8%

Commentary

• Batching in new builds is being used to support only part of the overall building control application with the majority of the applications being considered by our in-house teams.

• The batching approach is being used in some cases to access specialist resource to evaluate computational fluid dynamics modelling in support of fire strategies submitted as part of an application.

Batching pilot performance: external remediation

Issued	Not yet accepted	Accepted	Returned	Decision made
264	147	117	88	19

​ Median weeks from issued to return 4 ​

​

​ Median weeks from issued to decision 9 ​

​

Batched remediation decisions

Decision made	Percentage
Approval	11%
Approval with requirements	5%​
Rejection	84%
Withdrawn	0%

Commentary

• External remediation often requires a ‘full’ MDT, made up of the 3 core specialisms: registered building inspector (RBI), fire and structural engineers.

• Batching allows us to allocate remediation applications to one or more suppliers who have these capabilities available (while BSR maintains regulatory oversight) and is distributed across suppliers according to capacity.

Batching pilot performance: refurbishments

Issued	Not yet accepted	Accepted	Returned	Decision made
504	268	236	189	25

​ Median weeks from issued to return 3 ​

​

​ Median weeks from issued to decision 8 ​

​

Batched refurbishment decisions

Decision made	Percentage
Approval	32% ​
Approval with requirements	0%​
Rejection	64%
Withdrawn	4%

Commentary

• As with external remediation, category A refurbishments often require a ‘full’ MDT, made up of the 3 core specialisms: RBI, fire and structural engineers.

• Batching allows us to allocate these refurbishment applications to one or more suppliers who have these capabilities available and is distributed across suppliers according to capacity.

Gateway 2: Innovation Unit resources​

Role	Actual as of 20 Jan	Forecast February (mid-month)	Forecast March (mid-month)	Forecast April (mid-month)
Registered building inspectors	21	25	26	26
Structural engineers	18	18	18	18
Fire engineers	6.6	8	8	8

All numbers are full-time equivalent – for example, some people are available to BSR fewer than 5 days per week, so the totals shown are aggregated.

Commentary

• BSR draws building inspector, fire engineer and structural engineer resources from partner organisations across the public and private sector.

• These resources were brought in-house within BSR for the first time as part of the IU and allow BSR to have better control over resource allocation and tasking.

• The provision of sufficient resource of this type is therefore critical to enabling the IU’s work.

• Class 3 registered building inspectors (RBIs) are the most scarce.

• We are working to grow capacity to meet demand and to support other application categories such as remediation.