Under the changes, professionals’ caseloads will be cut from an average of 25 to around 10, a move the BSR said would benefit applicants and its processes. Approvals will be made more flexible, with greater use of ‘approval with requirements’ where appropriate, allowing projects to proceed while separate technical issues are resolved.
A new external remediation multidisciplinary team (MDT) will be established to streamline communication and process cases through dedicated account managers.
It will be modelled on the BSR’s Innovation Unit, which it said has been successfully handling new-build projects since September last year. This will be supported by external remediation account managers and free up the BSR’s employees so they can work on cases that can only be carried out internally.
The BSR will rely on fewer solely written communications and increase direct engagement with applicants, such as holding initial meetings for more complex projects. It also aims to develop and publish a prioritisation structure so applicants can see where they stand in the assessment queue.
Digital visibility will be enhanced, allowing applicants to track the progress of their application and improve data sharing with organisations such as Homes England to track funding pipelines.
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To reduce the rate of incomplete applications, which lead to delays, the BSR has published guidance for applicants.
Additional guidance for external remediation will be issued in the coming months to further support the industry.
Further, it plans to reduce average decision times to fewer than 12 weeks by December this year. While that remains below the statutory expectation of eight weeks, the BSR said it would be a “major improvement on turnaround times”.
In December last year, the Industry and Regulators Committee published a report criticising the BSR for taking more than nine months to greenlight projects and failing to provide guidance on how to demonstrate the safety of buildings.
It said this was causing delays and putting leaseholders at risk, as many applications were rejected or slowed down because of “basic errors”.
Lord Roe, the BSR’s board chair, said: “We continue to accelerate our decision-making for new-build applications, speeding up approvals for new-build and external remediation projects and increasing the supply of safe new and existing homes through the recent changes we have made to our processes.
“However, we recognise current determination times for remediation cases are falling short of statutory targets. This plan represents a targeted and achievable package of measures to reset the system and clear older legacy remediation cases.
“By doing so and then focussing on more recent applications, we can ensure high-rise residents see essential safety improvements they deserve without unnecessary or further delays.”
Charlie Pugsley, acting CEO of the BSR, added: “As we enter an important new chapter as a standalone regulator, our focus is on strengthening safety, rebuilding trust and supportively collaborating with industry.
“Collectively, these measures will ensure current and future remediation applications can proceed as smoothly and quickly as possible.
“By launching a dedicated multidisciplinary team and introducing account managers, we are dramatically increasing our capacity to make faster decisions.
“But speed cannot come at the cost of safety. We will also publish further specific guidance and support to help industry submit higher-quality applications, ensuring thousands of residents can feel safe, and are safe in their high-rise homes.”
