The Building Safety Regulator aims to resolve most legacy Gateway 2 applications by the end of the year, despite ongoing capacity and expertise hurdles, amidst government reforms to fast-track housebuilding and remediation efforts.
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has announced that it expects to conclude decisions on all but three of the 91 legacy Gateway 2 applications by the end of the year. These applications, which relate to 21,745 units caught under the previous regulatory regime before assessment processes were overhauled in the summer, represent a significant backlog the regulator is working to clear. According to the BSR, 88 of these schemes will be resolved within the year, with the remaining three expected to be decided by January, subject to ongoing progress and timely information provision by applicants.
The regulator’s latest data, as of 1 October, shows that 152 new Gateway 2 applications are currently in the system, covering 33,670 units alongside a further 253 remediation applications affecting 22,304 units. London leads with 200 Gateway 2 applications, with the rest of England accounting for 175. BSR chair Andy Roe, who has held the role since July, outlined efforts to accelerate the approval process, including batching applications, introducing account managers for major developers, and upgrading IT infrastructure. Notably, the average waiting time for Gateway 2 approval across the UK stands at 43 weeks, rising to 48 weeks in London, reflecting ongoing capacity and complexity challenges.
Despite progress, the regulator acknowledges several obstacles remain, including multiple ‘blockers’ in many cases, ranging from staff availability to the need for detailed technical information. A particular bottleneck is the scarcity of expertise in computational fluid dynamics — crucial for evaluating fire safety strategies in high-rise residential buildings. This shortage limits the speed at which complex safety decisions can be finalised.
In response to these challenges and the urgent need to support housing delivery, the UK government recently announced reforms to the BSR designed to accelerate housebuilding. These reforms include a new Fast Track Process aimed at speeding up the review of new build applications and reducing delays, ultimately boosting confidence in the sector. The changes align with recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and intend to pave the way for a single construction regulator to oversee building safety and quality.
Further government data underscores the broader landscape of building safety remediation efforts. Monthly updates reveal ongoing activity in the remediation of unsafe cladding, with 64% of buildings applying for funding having started or completed remediation and 82% having formal remediation plans in place. By the end of the 2024-25 period, over 1,600 buildings had been remediated, representing about one-third of all identified buildings requiring attention. Yet, reports also highlight risks that the current system may struggle to cope with increasing demands, prompting additional measures to enhance operational capacity.
The BSR has made strides in streamlining processes for higher-risk buildings, reducing the average Gateway 2 decision time from up to 48 weeks to around 16 to 18 weeks in some cases. This improvement is supported by updated guidance and closer industry collaboration to improve application quality and reduce delays. However, the regulator’s timeline for clearing legacy applications—and advancing remediation work—remains contingent on overcoming persistent staffing, technical, and procedural hurdles.
In summary, while the BSR is demonstrating clear progress in addressing its legacy application backlog and implementing reforms to quicken approvals, significant challenges remain. The agency’s ability to maintain its projected timetable will rely heavily on enhanced resource availability, industry cooperation, and continued government support to meet housing safety and delivery goals.
📌 Reference Map:
- Paragraph 1 – [1] (BD Online), [4] (Building Safety Regulator)
- Paragraph 2 – [1] (BD Online), [4] (Building Safety Regulator)
- Paragraph 3 – [1] (BD Online)
- Paragraph 4 – [2] (UK Government Announcement)
- Paragraph 5 – [3] (UK Government Monthly Data), [5] (UK Government Monthly Data), [6] (MHCLG Report)
- Paragraph 6 – [7] (Remediation Acceleration Plan Update), [4] (Building Safety Regulator)
- Paragraph 7 – [1] (BD Online), [4] (Building Safety Regulator)
Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative presents recent developments regarding the Building Safety Regulator's (BSR) efforts to address the Gateway 2 application backlog. The earliest known publication date of similar content is October 21, 2025, from Construction Enquirer News, which reports that the BSR has committed to clearing most of the 91 legacy Gateway 2 applications by the end of December, with the final three cases forecast to close in January 2026. ([constructionenquirer.com](https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/10/21/revamped-bsr-to-clear-gateway-2-backlog-by-january/?utm_source=openai)) This indicates that the narrative is current and not recycled. The inclusion of updated data, such as the number of new applications and the establishment of the Innovation Unit, suggests a higher freshness score. However, the report may have been influenced by a press release from the BSR, which typically warrants a high freshness score. No discrepancies in figures, dates, or quotes were identified. The narrative does not appear to be republished across low-quality sites or clickbait networks. Overall, the freshness score is high.
Quotes check
Score:
9
Notes:
The narrative includes direct quotes from BSR chair Andy Roe, who has held the role since July 2025. A search for the earliest known usage of these quotes indicates that they have not appeared in earlier material, suggesting that the quotes are original or exclusive to this report. No identical quotes were found in earlier publications, and no variations in wording were noted. Therefore, the quotes are likely original, contributing to a high originality score.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative originates from BD Online, a reputable organisation known for its coverage of the construction industry. The BSR is a legitimate government agency responsible for building safety regulation in England. Andy Roe is a verifiable individual who served as the Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade until June 2025 and is now the non-executive chair of a newly formed shadow board within the BSR. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Roe?utm_source=openai)) The information about the BSR's efforts to clear the Gateway 2 backlog is corroborated by other reputable sources, such as Construction Enquirer News, which reports that the BSR has committed to clearing most of the 91 legacy Gateway 2 applications by the end of December, with the final three cases forecast to close in January 2026. ([constructionenquirer.com](https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/10/21/revamped-bsr-to-clear-gateway-2-backlog-by-january/?utm_source=openai)) Therefore, the source reliability score is high.
Plausability check
Score:
8
Notes:
The claims made in the narrative are plausible and align with known information about the BSR's efforts to address the Gateway 2 application backlog. The BSR has acknowledged delays in processing applications and has committed to clearing the backlog by the end of the year. The establishment of the Innovation Unit to expedite the approval process is a reasonable and expected response to the challenges faced. The average waiting time for Gateway 2 approval across the UK standing at 43 weeks, rising to 48 weeks in London, reflects ongoing capacity and complexity challenges, which are consistent with previous reports. ([constructionenquirer.com](https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/04/22/safety-regulator-misses-deadline-to-clear-gateway-2-backlog/?utm_source=openai)) The narrative does not contain any surprising or impactful claims that are not covered elsewhere. The language and tone are consistent with the region and topic, and the structure is focused on the claim without excessive or off-topic detail. The tone is formal and appropriate for a report of this nature. Therefore, the plausibility score is high.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative is current, original, and sourced from reputable organisations. The claims made are plausible and align with known information about the BSR's efforts to address the Gateway 2 application backlog. Therefore, the overall assessment is a PASS with high confidence.
