Can New Leadership Fix the Building Safety Bottleneck?

They’ve called in the experts – and not a moment too soon.

If you've been stuck in planning purgatory waiting for building safety decisions, you're not alone. The construction industry has been clear: we need a faster, clearer path to safe, buildable developments — and it seems the government has finally heard the call.

In a major shake-up, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is leaving the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and becoming an arm’s-length agency under the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). That’s more than just a change of letterhead. It’s a shift towards real leadership, new processes, and (hopefully) fewer bottlenecks.

So, what’s actually changing?

Here’s what you need to know — and why it matters if you're involved in substructure design, remediation, or the construction of high-risk buildings (HRBs):

• Andy Roe (formerly of the London Fire Brigade) steps in as non-executive chair of the new BSR board.
• Charlie Pugsley joins as Chief Executive, with a clear mission: speed things up, without compromising safety.
• A fast-track process has been launched to accelerate decision-making on newbuilds and remediation.
• Over 100 new staff are being added to bolster BSR capacity.
• The building inspector rulebook has been reworked — now allowing Class 2C and 2F inspectors to handle more HRB work (cue some industry concern).

Why this matters to you

Let’s cut through the noise. If you’re a developer, engineer, or contractor, these changes could mean:

• Faster approvals for your schemes (especially HRBs)
• Fewer hold-ups on remediation decisions
• A chance to get on-site sooner with greater clarity around compliance

But—here’s the fine print—some in the industry are sceptical. Lowering qualification thresholds for inspectors may speed things up, but are we trading pace for precision?

As one expert put it, “This is how we got into this mess in the first place.”

Our view? Expertise always wins.

There’s a reason they’re calling in the specialists. When projects stall or safety is questioned, experience matters.

At Premcrete, we know the feeling. Every week, we’re pulled into complex sites where water, gas, or ground movement threatens to derail progress. We turn uncertainty into clarity by offering:

• Threefold Substructure Protection from water, gas and ground heave
• 25-Year Single Source Warranties
• In-house design support backed by £10 million PI cover

If you’re navigating new rules, delays, or unsure how your basement design stacks up against BSR compliance, we can help. Our approach is always proactive — we design to prevent failure, not react to it.

Explore how we support futureproof design with our range of waterproofing and gas protection systems.

Final word

The new BSR setup is a bold step forward. But let’s not pretend the challenges are over. With changing gatekeepers and evolving criteria, the margin for error is tighter than ever.

Our advice? Surround yourself with experts. Whether it’s regulatory change or ground-level risk, the right partner can be the difference between red tape and ribbon cutting.

We're keeping close to the changes... so you don't have to. 

Need guidance on designing in line with current and future BSR expectations? We’re already helping clients like you.

Contact our design team to talk about your project — before the regulator does: sales@premcrete.com