England remediation plan targets faster higher-risk building safety works

Remediation plan targets faster decisions

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has introduced an external remediation improvement plan to reduce delays to higher-risk building safety works across England.

BSR said the plan includes a dedicated external remediation multidisciplinary team, lower average caseloads for regulatory leads and wider use of approval with requirements where appropriate.

The regulator said it will recruit more staff to reduce individual caseloads from an average of 25 to around 10.

The new multidisciplinary team will be supported by external remediation account managers handling applicant communications and portfolio concerns.

BSR also plans to pilot the use of building control professionals from different classes to support case officers and regulatory leads.

A new consistency process will be introduced to resolve technical disputes more quickly.

The regulator is also moving towards more direct engagement with applicants, including initial meetings for more complex projects.

BSR said it will publish a clear external remediation prioritisation structure and is working on digital visibility changes so applicants can track progress after submission.

Older cases and application quality

BSR said around 40% of ongoing external remediation applications rely on government funding, and many older complex cases are taking longer to reach decisions.

The regulator said internal resource constraints and a high volume of older non-compliant industry submissions are driving the current caseload.

Incomplete applications are delaying decisions where required technical information or legal documentation is missing.

Examples include limited evidence of fire-resistant properties for replacement cladding and related materials, missing structural loading calculations and incomplete demonstration of thermal performance.

Delays are also linked to incomplete design information, unsupported non-worsening claims and poorly organised documents.

Ambiguity over retained combustibles is also described as a frequent cause of failure.

BSR said it has published initial guidance for external remediation work on existing higher-risk buildings and will issue more feedback, resources and support in the coming months.

The regulator is also planning better data sharing with organisations managing government funds, including Homes England.

By December 2026, BSR is aiming to reduce average decision times for remediation applications to less than 12 weeks and achieve approval rates above 65%.

Lord Roe, BSR Board Chair, said: “We continue to accelerate our decision-making for new build applications, speeding up approvals for new build and external remediation projects and increasing the supply of safe new and existing homes through the recent changes we have made to our processes.

“We recognise current determination times for remediation cases are falling short of statutory targets.

“This plan represents a targeted and achievable package of measures to reset the system and clear older legacy remediation cases.

“By doing so and then focussing on more recent applications, we can ensure high-rise residents see essential safety improvements they deserve without unnecessary or further delays.”

Charlie Pugsley, Acting CEO of BSR, added: “As we enter an important new chapter as a standalone regulator, our focus is on strengthening safety, rebuilding trust and supportively collaborating with industry.

“Collectively these measures will ensure current and future remediation applications can proceed as smoothly and quickly as possible.

“By launching a dedicated multidisciplinary team and introducing account managers, we are dramatically increasing our capacity to make faster decisions.

“Speed cannot come at the cost of safety.

“We will also publish further specific guidance and support to help industry submit higher-quality applications, ensuring thousands of residents can feel safe, and are safe in their high-rise homes.”