The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has shared new transparency data detailing the progress of Gateway 2 applications between December 2025 and February 2026, with further plans to improve the remediation process also announced

Between December 2025 and February 2026, approval decisions for remediation applications saw a slight increase to 48%, with the average approval time decreasing from 34 to 31 weeks. Around 86 remediation decisions have been made since December 2025, and 77 new cases received. Currently, 279 live remediation cases are being processed by the regulator.

BSR noted that applications often missed “important levels of detail needed to demonstrate compliance”, and to address this, it would be publishing specific remediation guidance, alongside improved feedback and support for applicants.

“We remain focused on closing out older applications submitted at the start of the regime, which typically do not contain sufficient detail for a decision and so require significant effort to move through to a successful conclusion.

“In parallel, we focus on higher-risk projects and those where there is a funding constraint.”

 

Remediation improvement plan

As previously reported by the FPA, since becoming a standalone body, the regulator is expected to introduce its remediation improvement plan in the coming weeks, setting out a targeted package of measures to “improve the efficiency, quality, and timeliness of applications for remediation projects”.

The plan will focus on three core areas: strengthening the regulator’s resource capacity, improving internal processes, and supporting industry in submitting higher-quality applications.

It follows the “positive impact” of recent changes implemented by the regulator on the processing of high-rise residential building applications. For all building application types between December 2025 and February 2026, a total of 639 applications were closed, including 273 invalidations, and 655 new applications were received. Currently, the number of live applications for all building categories stands at 1,212, with the regulator adding that there has been continuing improvement in the number of building control application decisions being made.

 

Legacy versus new build applications

Over the 12 weeks, 108 new build application decisions were made, and 82 new applications were received. The backlog of legacy cases has also reduced considerably: from 60 at the start of December down to 3 ‘normal’ applications. The regulator states that there are 18 long-term applications with “significant technical challenges” that have been moved into a new complex case process. The process will involve account managers who will work with applicants and experts to try to reach a successful outcome.

The approval rate for applications successfully passing validation by the Innovation Unit (IU) stands at 33%, with the regulator stating that a further 30% of cases are subject to “account management interventions”. Around 27 decisions were made during the 12 weeks, with 11 further applications taking an average of 18 weeks to be approved. BSR said its continued focus was on “increasing approval rates for safe applications and supporting those making applications to ensure more cases pass the validation stage”. It was doing this through:

  • enhanced consistency conventions to address areas of technical dispute between experts
  • exploring third-party independent validation of key design elements
  • accelerating the onboarding of specialists when needed (for example, Geo-spatial engineers or Computer Modelling specialists).

The IU is currently managing 123 live new build applications.

 

Pilot batching process

The regulator is currently evaluating a pilot batching process, which began in September 2025, to scale capacity by using specialised engineering services and suppliers to assess applications for new builds, refurbishments, and remediation projects. While the BSR retains regulatory oversight, the data suggests that the initial processing times for applications allocated to batching have been “significantly quicker” than under the previous model.

Commenting on the latest figures, Charlie Pugsley, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the BSR, said: "We continue to see improvements to the numbers of decisions being made for new build applications, and the numbers of safe homes being made available for the future.

“We also continue to engage even more closely with applicants to help improve the quality of those applications, and that continues to see tangible results that will make a real difference. 

“However, we recognise that current determination times are falling short of our targets for remediation. Our Remediation improvement plan, which will be formally announced and rolled out operationally over the coming weeks, will represent a targeted package of focused measures to reset the system. 

“But speed can never come at the cost of safety, whether that be for new build or existing homes. Our goal continues to be to ensure that industry can construct safe buildings, and that residents can see the essential safety improvements they deserve without unnecessary delays.”

You can view the latest transparency data here.