The House of Lords industry and regulators committee recommends in a report today that smaller works should be removed from the BSR鈥檚 building control approval processes to help make the system work more smoothly.
The committee heard from a range of witnesses including representatives of campaign groups, developers, housing associations and regulators which work with the BSR. It found that:
- 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鈥� 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鈥檚 hard-pressed multidisciplinary teams (MDTs).
While welcoming the increased scrutiny the Building Safety Regulator has brought to the design, construction and management of buildings in the interest of safety, the industry and regulators committee鈥檚 report, The Building Safety Regulator: Building a better regulator, also warns that the delays mean the government is in danger of missing its target to build 1.5 million homes by 2029.
The committee recommends that the BSR issues guidance to its MDTs on how compliance with the building regulations should be evidenced and assessed to ensure greater consistency.
It says that the government should remove smaller works from the BSR鈥檚 building control approval processes, or introduce a streamlined approval process for them. And it calls for more funding to train more building and fire inspectors.
Chair of the committee, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, said: 鈥淭he tragic loss of 72 lives at the Grenfell Tower fire laid bare the urgent need to reform building safety regulation in England, particularly for high-rise buildings. The introduction of the Building Safety Regulator was a necessary and welcome step.
鈥淗owever, the scale of the delays caused by the BSR has stretched far beyond the regulator's statutory timelines for building control decisions. This is unacceptable. We welcome that the government and the BSR are now acting to try and make practical improvements, but this will not address the anxiety and frustration that residents and companies have experienced.
It does not improve safety to delay vital remediation and refurbishments, nor to deter the delivery of new housing in high-rise buildings. We expect to see further action from the government and the BSR to ensure that construction projects in high-rise buildings can be brought forward more quickly, without compromising on vital safety improvements.鈥�
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