Latest building control approval application data

Gateway 2 approval rates rise despite continued delays in decision making

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) made 323 decisions on applications for building control approval in the 12 weeks to 1 May 2026, new data has shown⁽¹⁾.

This was up on the 284 decisions recorded in the previous reporting period, which covered the 12 weeks to 29 March 2026.

The latest data also confirmed that 740 new applications were submitted for building control approval in the same period, bringing the total number of live applications across all project categories to 1,367 as of 1 May.

Dr David Crosthwaite, chief economist at BCIS, said: ‘While decision timelines remain lengthy, and are increasing in some cases, approval rates for BSR applications are improving, suggesting the quality of submissions has strengthened.

‘It is encouraging to see progress in the right direction, with industry and regulator appearing to work more effectively together. Against an increasingly challenging geopolitical and economic backdrop, smoother application approvals will be vital to sustaining output momentum, particularly for new housing projects. In turn, this will help support demand for essential construction materials, such as cement, aggregates and concrete, sectors we know are already under pressure.’

The median time taken to reach decisions on approved applications was 35 weeks in the 12 weeks to 1 May, up from 34 weeks in the previous reporting period. However, the approval rate increased from 67% to 71%.

Decisions on rejected applications took a median of 23 weeks, while complex cases – where account managers work more closely with applicants to achieve a successful outcome – were approved in 35 weeks.

This data relates to applications submitted for building control approval – a statutory requirement for work on higher-risk buildings (HRBs) to pass the regulatory stop/go point known as gateway 2.

Applications for building control approval are used by the BSR to assess compliance with building regulations, project management due diligence and the competency of project teams⁽²⁾.

Data by application type

As of 1 May 2026, the BSR was processing 194 live applications for new build projects.

The majority (131) are being handled by the BSR’s Innovation Unit (IU). A further 20 are being managed as complex cases, eight of which are legacy cases.

In the 12 weeks to 1 May, the IU received 63 new applications, made 33 decisions and approved 73% of cases received. It took a median time of 22 weeks to approve applications and 17 weeks for rejections.

^{Source: BSR – Building control approval application data}

By comparison, the BSR received 121 remediation applications and made 81 decisions over the same period, with 337 live remediation applications recorded as of 1 May.

The median time to approve remediation applications increased to 46 weeks, up from 36 weeks in the previous reporting period. Rejected remediation applications took a median time of 25 weeks.

Reporting on data for remediation applications, the BSR said: ‘We have made operational improvements to achieve our BSR remediation improvement plan aim to reduce average decision times. Fewer than 20 legacy applications made in 2024 now remain, and approval rates in 2026 have reached the 65% target. A further 12 applications are on track to be determined by mid-May.’

London-based projects requiring building control approval account for a larger share of all gateway 2 applications than the rest of England combined.

As of 1 May, the BSR was processing 271 London-based applications compared with 206 based across the rest of England.

Across all regions, remediation applications outnumber those for new build.

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^{(1) GOV.UK – Building control approval application data – here}

^{(2) GOV.UK – Building control approval for higher-risk buildings – here}