The government is reforming the Building Safety Regulator in a bid to speed up construction of high-rise homes.<\/p>\n
This will include a \u2018fast track process\u2019, where existing new build cases and remediation decisions can be reviewed by building inspectors and engineers, who are charged with finding the balance between speed and keeping residents safe.<\/p>\n
The government said these changes represent \u201cearly steps\u201d towards establishing a single construction regulator, in response to recommendations made from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.<\/p>\n
Alex Norris, minister for building safety, said: \u201cThe establishment of the Building Safety Regulator has been fundamental to centralising safety in the\u202fconstruction process and it\u2019s time to take the next steps to build on that precedent and create a system that works for the sector whilst keeping residents and their safety at the heart of the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re announcing a package of reforms to the BSR today to enhance operations, reduce delays, and unlock the homes this country desperately needs \u2013 delivering on our Plan for Change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two hires have been made from the London Fire Brigade.<\/p>\n
Charlie Pugsley has been hired as chief executive of the Building Safety Regulator, with Andy Roe joining as non-executive chair of a board\u202fof the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).<\/p>\n
Roe was formerly commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, while\u00a0Pugsley was deputy commissioner and operational director for prevention, protection & policy.<\/p>\n
Roe\u202fsaid: \u201cThe creation of the new Building Safety Regulator was a watershed moment for housing and construction in this country.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, it is also clear that the BSR processes\u2019 need to continue to evolve and improve, to ensure that it plays its part in enabling the homes this country desperately needs to be built.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to working with colleagues both in industry and the BSR to tackle the current issues and delays head on and help get those homes built safely.\u201d<\/p>\n
HSE chair, Sarah Newton said:\u202f \u201cSetting up an entirely new regulator has been complex and huge progress has been made in a short space of time.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting residents and making sure there is never another tragedy like Grenfell has been our priority throughout this process. We wish the new BSR team well in this most important mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very proud of the work we have done to establish the BSR. It was always an option that once the new regulator was established that it would move out of HSE to enable the government to implement the Grenfell Public Inquiry recommendations and we will work hard to enable the smooth transition to the next stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neal Moy, managing director of development finance at Paragon Bank, said: \u201cBetter late than never, the Government\u2019s planned reforms to the Building Safety Regulator are a welcome and pragmatic step toward unblocking the UK\u2019s housebuilding bottleneck, and we are glad they have heeded the warnings from Paragon and many others in the sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy introducing a fast-track process and investing in additional capacity, these changes directly address the delays that have frustrated developers and slowed progress on much-needed housing delivery.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a bank which works predominantly with SMEs in the construction sector, we welcome reforms that reduce friction in the planning and approval process while maintaining the highest safety standards. SMEs often face disproportionate challenges in comparison to bigger players when navigating regulatory processes, but with these reforms in place they, hopefully, will stand to benefit significantly from a more streamlined and responsive system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe commitment to deliver 1.5 million safe, high-quality homes is increasingly ambitious, and it\u2019s encouraging to see safety and speed being treated as complementary, not conflicting, priorities. We hope these changes will give SME developers greater confidence to invest and build, as they have a huge part to play in solving the UK\u2019s housing shortage.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The government is reforming the Building Safety Regulator in a bid to speed up construction of high-rise homes. This will include a \u2018fast track process\u2019, where existing new build cases and remediation decisions can be reviewed by building inspectors and engineers, who are charged with finding the balance between speed and keeping residents safe. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1011,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-second-home"],"yoast_head":"\n