Transparency data

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

Updated 15 September 2026

Applies to England

All data is correct as of 31 August 2026 and provided by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

Introduction

As in previous months, this BSR dataset includes information relating to gateway 2 performance, with London performance reported separately.

It also includes data on internal and external resource usage and gateway 3 performance.

National Health Service (NHS) applications are included as a separate category.

Detailed information on the number of major change requests and their processing times is also included. Timely resolution of these requests during construction is essential for work to continue.

Recent trends

There has been an increase in gateway 2 applications. This could be because of the building safety levy, which comes into effect in October 2026. BSR has a mitigation plan in place and will continue to monitor the rate of new applications.

BSR’s growing inspection programme has found a small number of examples where building work has not followed agreed designs and has required some remedial work. BSR will monitor this closely and take action where appropriate to help make sure that buildings are constructed in line with safe designs.

Gateway 2: headline numbers for June to August 2026

Status	New higher-risk buildings (HRBs) and conversions	External remediation
Cases in progress	147	327
Invalid or withdrawn	5	20
Decisions made	50	118
New in	63	109
Approval rate	92%	89%
Median approval time	22 weeks	33 weeks
Units approved	9,362	8,667

Commentary

• August 2026 marks 12 months since the Innovation Unit (IU) was set up to deal exclusively with new build higher-risk building (HRB) applications.
• At that point, the median approval time for new builds was 43 weeks, with an approval rate of 39%.
• The median approval time is now 22 weeks, with an approval rate of 92%.
• Over the same period, performance for remediation applications improved significantly. Approval times fell from 43 weeks to 33 weeks, and approval rates increased from 47% to 89%.
• There was a steady increase in new build applications in August, reaching 34. BSR expects this number to increase in September due to the introduction of the building safety levy on 1 October 2026.

Gateway 2: headline numbers for June to August 2026 – internal works and NHS

Status	HRB internal works	NHS internal works
Cases in progress	1,082	32
Invalid or withdrawn	141	8
Decisions made	143	22
New in	457	30
Approval rate	78%	82%
Median approval time	32 weeks	22 weeks

Commentary

• NHS applications continue as a separate category. They were previously reported within the HRB internal works dataset.
• These can include a range of building work in hospitals, from maintenance to new hospital facilities.
• BSR has been working closely with the NHS to support the specialist nature of its applications.
• This has started to show results, with some recent approvals coming in at the statutory 8-week timescale.
• The median approval time for NHS applications submitted in 2026 has reduced to 13 weeks.
• The median approval time for HRB internal works applications submitted in 2026 has reduced to 16 weeks.
• Overall median approval times are higher as BSR continues to close older applications from 2025.

All application categories

Week commencing	New in	Closed decisions	Total cases in progress
8 June	55	49	1,515
15 June	55	49	1,521
22 June	53	48	1,526
29 June	55	37	1,544
6 July	51	39	1,556
13 July	46	59	1,543
20 July	47	39	1,551
27 July	56	53	1,554
3 August	62	34	1,582
10 August	48	23	1,607
17 August	70	47	1,630
24 August	80	56	1,654

Commentary

• There are currently 1,654 gateway 2 applications in progress. This is an increase of more than 100 in August. BSR will monitor whether this increase continues.
• These include new build, remediation, internal refurbishment and NHS applications, which are explained in more detail later.
• 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 projects commenced under the previous building control regime and are generally more complicated to progress because much of the evidence now expected at gateway 2 is not available.
• There are currently 66 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
8 June	2	3	138
15 June	4	5	137
22 June	4	4	137
29 June	2	5	134
6 July	2	2	134
13 July	7	9	132
20 July	4	4	132
27 July	4	10	126
3 August	9	2	133
10 August	6	4	135
17 August	12	3	144
24 August	7	4	147

New HRBs and conversions: performance (national)

Description	Total
New in	63
In progress	147
Units approved	9,362
Units in progress	32,691

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

In the period, there were:

• 50 decisions made
• 5 invalid or withdrawn applications
• 33 complex cases in progress with a median approval time of 33 weeks

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Rejection rate	8%	8
Approval rate	92%	22

Commentary

• Of 63 applications received over the past 12 weeks, 4 applications were invalidated and one was withdrawn. Of the 50 decisions made, 46 were approvals and 4 were rejections.
• The 12-week rolling approval rate, excluding invalidations and withdrawals, has risen to 92%, with a median approval time of 22 weeks.
• Complex cases are now tracked separately. The final decision is included in the rejection or approval totals, and their median approval time is 33 weeks.
• BSR continues to work closely with industry on a shared understanding of compliance as it works to reduce the number of complex cases in the system.
• The overall combined total is 147. This has increased from 131 at the end of July 2026.

External remediation (national)

External remediation: new in versus closed decisions (national)

Week commencing	New in	Closed decisions	Total cases in progress
8 June	9	12	353
15 June	7	15	345
22 June	11	9	347
29 June	16	12	351
6 July	8	13	346
13 July	5	16	335
20 July	9	7	337
27 July	10	11	336
3 August	9	9	336
10 August	14	5	345
17 August	6	13	338
24 August	5	16	327

External remediation: performance (national)

Description	Total
New in	109
In progress	327
Units approved	8,667
Units in progress	28,274

External remediation: percentages and weeks taken (national)

In the period, there were:

• 118 decisions made
• 20 invalid or withdrawn applications

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Rejection rate	11%	44
Approvals	89%	33

Commentary

• The rolling 12-week approval rate has increased to 89%, with the median approval time falling to 33 weeks. This is a positive trend, but remains above target because older cases that have been in the system for some time are included.
• 12 legacy applications made in 2024 remain, down from 42 at the start of 2026.
• BSR continues to work closely with the sector to help applicants improve the quality of applications.
• Applications submitted between October and December 2025 are moving faster through the system than earlier applications.
• The average approval time still appears high because it includes older applications from 2025 that are still being cleared.
• 2026 approval rates already exceed the 75% target at 89%

HRB internal works (national)

Week commencing	New in	Closed decisions	Total cases in progress
8 June	37	27	919
15 June	38	24	933
22 June	34	34	933
29 June	33	18	948
6 July	36	21	963
13 July	28	25	966
20 July	30	21	975
27 July	40	28	987
3 August	40	20	1,007
10 August	25	11	1,021
17 August	50	22	1,049
24 August	66	33	1,082

HRB internal works: performance (national)

Description	Total
New in	457
In progress	1,082

Percentages and weeks taken (national)

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Rejection rate	22%	24
Approval rate	78%	32

Commentary

• The approval rate for internal refurbishment works in category A and B is currently 78%, with a median determination time for approvals of 32 weeks.
• New applications have been received at an average rate of 38 per week over the past 12 weeks. The weekly rate was higher in August. BSR expects this increase to reduce as determination times reduce.
• The overall combined total is an expected 1,082, having increased over the past 12 weeks.
• HRB internal work determinations over the past 12 weeks account for around 43% of all gateway 2 decisions. These applications include all internal refurbishment works except NHS applications.

NHS internal works (national)

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

Week commencing	New in	Closed decisions	Total cases in progress
8 June	1	3	30
15 June	5	2	33
22 June	3	1	35
29 June	2	0	37
6 July	2	2	37
13 July	5	4	38
20 July	2	5	35
27 July	2	1	36
3 August	3	3	36
10 August	2	2	36
17 August	2	6	32
24 August	1	1	32

NHS internal works: performance (national)

Description	Total
New in	30
In progress	32

NHS internal works: percentages and weeks taken (national)

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Rejection rate	18%	15
Approval rate	82%	22

Commentary

• NHS internal works have now been split from HRB internal works.
• The approval rate for NHS internal refurbishment is currently 82%.
• The median determination time for approvals is 22 weeks.
• New applications have been received at an average rate of 2 per week over the past 12 weeks.

Gateway 2: regional distribution

Data as of 31 August 2026.​

Regional gateway 2 applications (London)

Region	New HRBs and conversions	External remediation	HRB internal works	Transitional	Total
London	96	182	734	0	0
Rest of England	40	144	328	30	560

Regional gateway 2 applications (rest of England)

Region	New HRBs and conversions	External remediation	HRB internal works	NHS	Transitional
East	0	18	43	1	1
East Midlands	0	9	25	2	2
North East	0	9	35	4	2
North West	17	42	36	1	13
South East	6	31	46	3	3
South West	6	22	76	3	6
West Midlands	6	3	29	1	1
Yorkshire and The Humber	4	10	38	3	3

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
8 June	1	2	90
15 June	1	4	87
22 June	3	2	88
29 June	2	3	87
6 July	0	2	85
13 July	3	3	85
20 July	2	3	84
27 July	2	7	79
3 August	6	1	84
10 August	6	1	89
17 August	10	3	96
24 August	2	2	96

New HRBs and conversions: performance (London)

Description	Total
New in	38
In progress	96
Units approved	4,477
Units in progress	20,046

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

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Approval rate	90%	23
Rejection rate	10%	6

Commentary

• Around 65% of in-progress new build applications are in London.
• This represents around 61% of the overall new build residential units handled by BSR.
• Of the 50 new build decisions made in the last 12 weeks, 31 are in London.
• The London approval rate is 90%. This reflects significant work to resolve outstanding complex cases.
• The approval time for non-complex cases is 23 weeks, slightly above the national average.

External remediation (London)

Week commencing	New in	Closed decisions	Total cases in progress
8 June	4	4	200
15 June	4	9	195
22 June	7	5	197
29 June	4	3	198
6 July	3	6	195
13 July	4	7	192
20 July	4	6	190
27 July	2	6	186
3 August	2	4	184
10 August	6	3	187
17 August	3	4	186
24 August	4	8	182

External remediation: performance (London)

Description	Total
New in	47
In progress	182
Units approved	3,936
Units in progress	15,395

External remediation: percentages and weeks taken (London)

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Approval rate	96%	32
Rejection rate	4%	18

Commentary

• Open remediation cases in London have dropped over the period from 200 to 182.
• Progress has been made since the announcement of the BSR remediation improvement plan in April 2026. There are now 12 legacy applications from 2024 remaining, down from 42 at the start of 2026.
• The median approval time based on the rolling total reflects work to close older applications from 2024 and 2025. These applications continue to affect overall median approval times.
• Applications submitted in 2026 are being determined much more quickly.
• London’s approval rate of 96% is slightly higher than the national rate.

HRB internal works (London)

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

Week commencing	New in	Closed decisions	Total cases in progress
8 June	27	14	599
15 June	32	18	613
22 June	22	21	614
29 June	22	9	627
6 July	25	11	641
13 July	18	19	640
20 July	22	13	649
27 July	33	22	660
3 August	25	16	669
10 August	23	8	684
17 August	30	15	699
24 August	52	17	734

HRB internal works: performance (London)

Description	Total
New in	331
In progress	734

HRB internal works: percentages and weeks taken (London)

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Approval rate	78%	32
Rejection rate	22%	25

Commentary

• The approval rate for internal refurbishment works in category A and B is currently 78%, with a median determination time for approvals of 32 weeks. This is very similar to the national average.
• The overall combined total is less than the expected total of 850 to 900. It is currently 734, having increased over the past 12 weeks.
• HRB internal work determinations over the past 12 weeks account for around 46% of gateway 2 decisions. These applications include all internal refurbishment works except NHS applications.

NHS internal works (London)

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

Week commencing	New in	Closed decisions	Total cases in progress
8 June	0	1	12
15 June	3	1	14
22 June	0	0	14
29 June	2	0	16
6 July	2	0	18
13 July	1	2	17
20 July	0	2	15
27 July	0	0	15
3 August	0	0	15
10 August	2	0	17
17 August	0	4	13
24 August	0	0	13

NHS internal works: performance (London)

Description	Total
New in	10
In progress	13

NHS internal works: percentages and weeks taken (London)

Description	Percentage	Weeks taken (median)
Approval rate	78%	33
Rejection rate	22%	14

Commentary

• NHS internal works have now been split from HRB internal works.
• The approval rate for NHS internal refurbishment works is currently 78%, with a median determination time for approvals of 33 weeks. This is slightly higher than the national average.

Building control resources: people working on building control applications

Week commencing	Internal resources	External resources	Total resources
8 June	110	281	391
15 June	115	262	377
22 June	122	256	378
29 June	134	253	387
6 July	142	255	397
13 July	149	262	411
20 July	145	264	409
27 July	142	241	383
3 August	137	236	373
10 August	139	233	372
17 August	138	223	361
24 August	135	208	343

Building control resources: performance

Description	Total
Internal resources	177
External resources	508
Integrated resources	64

Building control resources: resource breakdown

Internal resources

Description	Total
Regulatory leads	101
Principal regulatory leads	14
Case officers	58
Case officer managers	4

External resources

Description	Total
Registered building inspectors (RBIs)	240
Fire service professionals	106
Structural engineers	127
Specialists	35

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. BSR has grown its internal regulatory team by 25 over the past 3 months and is continuing to recruit over the next 6 to 12 months.
• BSR is also growing its integrated resource teams to meet demand.

Building control integrated resources

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

Resource	FTE as of 31 July	Headcount as of 31 July	August forecast (FTE)	September forecast (FTE)	October forecast (FTE)
Registered building inspectors	23.3	36	25.3	29.3	34.3
Structural engineers	20	22	20	21	25
Fire service professionals and engineers	6.6	7	6.6	6.6	11.6

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

In build: major changes from June to August 2026

Data as of 31 August 2026.

In build: new in versus closed applications

Week commencing	New in	Closed applications	Total cases in progress
8 June	8	6	153
15 June	14	11	156
22 June	12	9	159
29 June	8	2	165
6 July	18	8	175
13 July	20	7	188
20 July	9	11	186
27 July	14	19	181
3 August	9	11	179
10 August	17	9	187
17 August	18	23	182
24 August	9	7	184

Application type	Major change requests in progress	New in	Closed	Median weeks to close
New HRBs and conversions	78	99	77	7
External remediations	11	15	24	10
HRB internal works	67	29	17	9
NHS applications	25	11	1	20

Commentary

• BSR recognises that the timely processing of major change requests during construction is vital to make sure construction can continue.
• There are currently 184 major change requests in progress. A total of 123 requests have been closed in the period, including 119 shown in the data tables and 4 transitional requests.
• The median closure time for new build projects is currently 7 weeks, one week more than the statutory target.
• Transitional major change requests make up the remaining 3 of the 184 not shown in the data tables, with 2 new in and 4 closed.

Gateway 3 applications from June to August 2026

Data as of 31 August 2026.

Gateway 3 applications: new in versus closed applications

Week commencing	New in	Closed applications	Total cases in progress
8 June	3	4	126
15 June	7	2	131
22 June	4	1	134
29 June	3	9	128
6 July	7	2	133
13 July	3	3	133
20 July	3	2	134
27 July	3	1	136
3 August	7	0	143
10 August	4	0	147
17 August	8	1	154
24 August	3	1	156

Gateway 3 applications: performance

Application type	In progress	Units	Approvals	New in
New HRBs and conversions	0	0	0	0
External remediation	8	972	0	3
NHS internal works	15	Not applicable	4	5
HRB internal works	105	Not applicable	9	45

Commentary

• No new build projects that have passed through gateway 2 have reached gateway 3.
• The inspection regime for new build projects has identified a small amount of building work that deviates from designs agreed at gateway 2.
• Of the 346 gateway 3 applications received, 260 are internal refurbishments. Most of the remainder are transitional cases, at 45, and NHS internal refurbishments, at 23.
• Over the past 12 weeks, 16 gateway 3 applications have been determined, with an approval rate of 88% and a median determination time of 20 weeks. The quickest determination was 7 weeks. This is an important area for BSR, particularly for new build projects, and BSR expects determination times to reduce as new processes are introduced and more resource is found.