BSR approves more than 11,000 new homes but misses forecasts in plan to clear backlog

A spokesperson for the BSR told Inside Housing: “Cases which have been in the system for some time are complex, and often require extensive liaison with the applicant.

“Our October forecasts were always reliant on case-specific factors being resolved, and we are actively addressing individual blockers directly with applicants.

“Based on recent performance, we remain confident that our key milestones are achievable... we remain cautiously optimistic.”

Charlie Pugsley, the BSR’s chief executive, also claimed the regulator is on track to clear most of the outstanding cases by the end of December, due to recent changes made in a bid to speed up decisions.

In October the BSR highlighted that its projections depended on a range factors including “relevant and timely information being provided by applicants”. It explained that many cases faced multiple barriers to resolution, such as a lack of specialist staff.

In order to start construction work on site, buildings that fall under the remit of the BSR must gain Gateway 2 approval.

But applications to get this sign-off have been hit by delays, and as of July an estimated 30,000 applications were stuck in the system, while the median decision time was 25 weeks.

These delays have sparked efforts to reform the regulator, including a new centralised unit to deal with development bids and a fast-track process where applications across different categories are bundled together and sent to outside experts.

In its update published last week, the BSR said 217 cases have now gone through the batching process, while its new innovation unit is now dealing with more than double the number of cases, representing 17,000 homes.

At the time of the data release, the centralised unit had not yet approved any schemes, but the first approvals are due this month, the BSR said.

Mr Pugsley said in a statement: “The immediate, positive results we saw from our pilot operational changes have established a strong foundation for continued success.”

The regulator said it had made a record 272 decisions across all application types this autumn and more than 500 since August.

Data also shows the number of new build applications in the system has increased, with 167 cases, up from 152 in October. This has also led to questions over whether the regulator can meet its targets.

Dominic Curran, director at the British Property Federation, said: “The latest data from the BSR is, on the face of it, good news.

“However, it appears to show 61,000 homes awaiting a decision, up from 55,000 last month.

“This doesn’t bode well for the ambition to clear the backlog by the end of the year.

“It would be a wonderful Christmas present if they could, but it appears that the target is slipping out of reach.”

However, the BSR spokesperson said: “The recent increase in new build applications suggests increased industry confidence in the BSR achieving timely determinations.”

They also highlighted the progress the regulator has made, adding: “The BSR continues to make significant progress in processing applications across all categories, delivering a record number of decisions accounting for nearly 10,000 new dwellings in the last 12 weeks.

“The approval rate of 73% for new dwellings reinforces our commitment to support applicants to reach a successful determination where possible.”

It said these schemes will be a “key focus” for it through to the end of the year, adding that it is planning “face-to-face meetings with regulatory partners” so it can “finalise the majority of the remaining historic cases in December”.

The data release also noted the “relatively high approval rate” for these older schemes, with roughly three-quarters of the decisions made since August being approvals.  

Officials added that many of these approvals had used a “recently enhanced ‘approval with requirements’ route”.