Fresh figures from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) reveal that up to 75% of high-rise residential buildings are falling short of the UK’s latest building safety requirements, raising major concerns across the sector.
Of the 1,454 high-risk buildings where owners have submitted their mandatory safety case files, the BSR has reviewed 170 to date. Alarmingly, 125 of these did not meet the required standards. Legal notices have now been served on the owners of non-compliant properties, compelling them to act on serious safety failings.
Failures range from inadequate assessments and missing resident engagement strategies, to structural and compartmentation issues requiring significant remedial work.
The data was part of the BSR’s first formal performance update, covering the period from late 2023 through early 2025. It also revealed a growing backlog in planning approvals. On average, developers are waiting 36 weeks — or nine months — for Gateway approvals, three times the intended 12-week target.
Out of 2,108 applications submitted in that window, only 338 received approval.
A spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) acknowledged the delays and said recent recruitment and process reforms are starting to improve throughput. The BSR has now surpassed a key milestone, with the number of decisions each month finally exceeding the number of new applications received.
Further reforms are underway. The BSR, which was previously part of the HSE, is being restructured into a standalone authority. A dedicated Innovation Unit has also been launched to help accelerate new-build approvals, particularly those that adopt modern construction methods or demonstrate exemplary safety strategies.
To strengthen enforcement and technical scrutiny, the regulator is also recruiting experienced engineers and building safety professionals following criticism that previous case reviewers lacked sector-specific knowledge.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton, chair of the Industry and Regulators Committee, spoke as part of an ongoing inquiry into the BSR’s performance: “The Committee wants to hear from all stakeholders to find out if the BSR has the skills and resources required to ensure the safety of all buildings and its residents in the process of approving applications for high-rise buildings. This is crucial if the Government is going to achieve its manifesto target of building 1.5 million homes over the next Parliament.”
As the BSR moves to ramp up its capabilities and regain industry confidence, the figures underscore the scale of the task ahead in transforming building safety in the UK.
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