Are the building safety regime and the housing minister’s mantra of ‘build, baby, build’ at odds? They don’t have to be, argues Allan Binns.

The government minister in charge of building safety gave her full confidence in the new leadership of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to work more closely with the industry and clear the backlog of Gateway 2 applications by the end of the year.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published draft regulations to move the functions of the Building Safety Regulator out of the Health and Safety Executive, into an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by MHCLG.

Earlier this month, the industry was shaken following the collapse of Assent, one of the UK’s largest building control firms. Tim Hillier and Olivia Jenkins explain the options available after a building control body ceases trading.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has released its October update on Gateway 2 building approval applications.

APS deputy chief executive Sofie Hooper has expressed her hope that the new move towards the single regulator will be adequately resourced, following widespread criticism of the extensive delays at Gateway 2.

Requirement for second staircases and new funding for cladding remediation among sweep of changes.