The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has issued a report on delays in scheme approvals that is sharply critical of the Building Safety Regulator.  Whilst welcoming the increased scrutiny the Building Safety Regulator has brought to the design, construction and management of buildings in the interest of safety, the Committee’s report warns that the delays mean the Government is in danger of missing its target to build 1.5 million homes by 2029.

After hearing from a range of witnesses including representatives of campaign groups and other organisations, developers, housing associations and regulators which work closely with the BSR, the Committee also found:

• The BSR has not given clear enough guidance on how applicants are supposed to demonstrate that their buildings are safe;
• Many applications are being rejected or delayed due to basic errors and applicants’ inability to evidence how they are considering elements of fire and structural safety, which reflects poorly on the construction industry;
• Many construction products do not have relevant product standards, leaving them entirely unregulated;
• Difficulties in local authority funding and the introduction of regulation have left an ageing workforce of building inspectors who are struggling to meet demand;
• Despite these skills shortages, smaller works such as bathroom renovations in high-rise buildings are being subject to the scrutiny of the BSR’s hard-pressed multidisciplinary teams.

As a result, the report is calling on:

• The BSR to give greater guidance to its MDTs on how compliance with the Building Regulations should be evidenced and assessed to ensure greater consistency;
• The Government to remove smaller works from the BSR’s building control approval processes, or introduce a streamlined approval process for them;
• The BSR to allocate the same MDTs to similar buildings or projects built by the same organisation, which could improve efficiency and consistency;
• The Government to provide long-term funding for the training of new building and fire inspectors.

Responding to the criticism, the BSR has said it has made “significant changes” in its procedures to reduce the delays.