The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has published its strategic plan for the upcoming year, detailing a roadmap of activity that will enable it to carry out its building safety functions successfully

Since becoming a standalone non-departmental public body (NDPB) sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), the regulator states that it has been “preparing to lay the foundations for a new single regulator for the construction industry”.

In view of this, five priority areas will guide the BSR’s work from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027:

  • Improving operations and processes
  • Supporting remediation of buildings with unsafe cladding
  • Ensuring safe construction and smooth Gateway 3 approvals
  • Keeping safety risks and building standards under review
  • Improving professional standards across the built environment

Observing that it was originally set up at pace, the regulator acknowledges that it “did not have the time” to fully reflect on how it was set up or invest the time in fully developing its processes and ways of working.

“We are now doing that thinking, reflecting, testing, and then making changes,” it said.

As such, steps have already been taken in previous months to improve its efficiencies and user experience, including reducing the time taken to respond to Gateway 2 applications as part of the building control process. However, further steps to reduce industry burden are also being explored, such as the use of automation and new software to help increase collaboration with residents and industry, and the collection and sharing of data.

The regulator will also shift its focus to remediation, working closely with MHCLG and Homes England, to support their Remediation Improvement Plan. It added that it was also reviewing its ways of working with registered building inspectors (RBIs) to ensure the smooth process of Gateway 3 approvals. Part of this involves reviewing the conditions of authorisation for competent person schemes to improve performance and reviewing existing guidance to improve skills, knowledge, experience, behaviours, and competence standards.

In the policy paper’s foreword, Samantha Dixon MP, Minister for Building Safety, Fire, and Democracy, said:

“Through its vital work, BSR is strengthening building safety across the country – protecting residents, raising standards, and making sure those responsible for buildings are held to account. These reforms are already delivering tangible improvements, including stronger oversight of new build applications, progress on remediation, and action to address legacy safety issues.

“This strategic plan sets out the ambition for the year ahead. It demonstrates how continued progress in building safety will go hand in hand with growth, while delivering meaningful improvements to the experience of residents in their homes.”

Reflecting on the regulator’s first strategic plan since its establishment in 2023, the new plan builds on lessons learned, emerging risks, technological change, and the evolving landscape of the built environment. It is expected that a 3-year strategic plan, covering 2027 to 2030, will follow.

An external remediation improvement plan from the BSR, designed to speed up essential higher-risk building safety work across England, will also be published in the coming days.

Published on 31 March, you can access the strategic plan 2026 to 2027 here.