Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Building Safety Regulator will clear the Gateway Two backlog by January 2026.

In August 2025, following the June reforms to the Building Safety Regulator, the new innovation unit began to expedite all new cases for building control approvals for new buildings, whilst still assuring the delivery of safe, high-quality homes.  The innovation unit has dramatically reduced decisions times by 20 or more weeks compared with the previous peak of 38 weeks for approved new build decisions.

Applications for new buildings already in the BSR system submitted before 4 August carried on via the existing model.  BSR has reduced the number of these existing new builds every month since August 25 and has significantly driven up the rate of approval. The latest published data shows that cases in the backlog reduced from 103 on 1^st September 2025 to 63 as of the 24^th November 2025, with 9 further applications being considered as being suitable for approval with requirements.

The BSR continues to prioritise these legacy applications and expects the majority to be determined by the new year. With operational performance improving, quality applications are essential to ensure projects can progress. The BSR will continue to support industry leaders as they publish guidance for applicants but will not compromise on safety.