Abandoned or simply stalled housing developments in London have become a hot topic. The wave of criticism and new accusations have increased calls for immediate reform of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). Lord Best, former chair of the Affordable Housing Commission, emphasized that the BSR must expedite the processing of planning applications. He cautioned that the regulator will need more resources to successfully address their quickly multiplying backlog.
BSR has the lead role in enforcement during the development of higher-risk buildings. This responsibility has only become more complicated by recent building safety regulations. In the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, authorities began passing stricter legislation. Now, every new development is required to come with a second staircase. Developers are facing up to a year’s delay in the time taken to process their building safety applications. This bottleneck is making it quite difficult for new home construction to keep up with demand.
Council leader Ray Morgon highlighted these delays as a major factor for missing developments citywide. He emphasized that even though safety is the top priority, the delays in approval times are worsening the crisis in housing options right now.
“We’re very, very keen to make sure that our housing is the safest it can possibly be for our residents, but of course that increases the costs and that was the reason why we had to pause [the development],” – Mr Morgone.
The delays are not just because of regulatory challenges. Rising building costs and mounting pressure on council budgets are big factors in projects coming to a standstill. Havering Council had poorly spent £2.1 million in advance of any development on the Lincoln Court Estate. They were forced to stop work because their construction costs continued to increase.
Niki shares a one-bedroom Hackney flat with her husband and two sons. Documenting why she’s frustrated by the lack of affordable housing options. On her long wait on Hackney Council’s housing list, she said. Now she worries that she’ll have to wait another 26 years before she ever gets a council flat.
“Initially I was placed in medical priority and told to wait for 12 years. Once I acquired assessments for my son’s own-room entitlement, I was downgraded, and now we’re looking at 26 years for a three-bedroom,” – Niki.
Niki’s story highlights an urgent need for all levels of government to accelerate the production of low-cost, affordable housing. She shared her interest in learning how she could better support her autistic son, expressing that,
“I would like to be able to support my child in the way he deserves… I can’t meet my family’s needs at the moment.”
The challenges planners are up against are historic. A representative for BSR acknowledged just how difficult it is to set up a new regulatory agency. They were struck by the extraordinary advancement achieved in a remarkably brief period of time. They emphasized the importance of maintaining safety standards in high-rise buildings.
“Setting up a new regulator has been complex, and huge progress has been made in a short time. The construction industry must meet standards that will keep residents safe in high-rise buildings,” – BSR spokesperson.
Industry professionals are feeling the strain. Rick de Blaby, one of the UK’s leading housing developers and former CEO of housing association bond issuer Plaza, commented on the growing challenges facing developers today.
“Getting planning permissions, funding contractors to execute the work, delivering homes in any sort of timescale that’s predictable has probably never been harder in my career,” – Rick de Blaby.
In response to these persistent challenges, officials are seeking reforms to make decisively determining a project’s fate within the BSR more efficient. It is hoped this will speed up approvals to get developers back to building projects desperately needed by Londoners as quickly as possible.
A government spokesperson reiterated the commitment to balancing safety with efficiency, stating that there needs to be “a system that works for developers and keeps residents safe.”
Debates on the direction of London’s new housing development has recently been front page news. One thing is apparent — we must act now to address blind regulatory inefficiencies and ever-increasing costs. Our shared goal should be getting residents to safe, affordable homes as quickly as possible—not a minute more.
