Construction Management Magazine

Scott Evans, Coniston Image: xxxxxx

The Coniston PM decarbonising Grade I-listed buildings

In our latest project leader profile, CM talks to Scott Evans from Coniston about retrofitting the historic Royal Institution building in London’s Mayfair

Image: McLaren Construction

Images of the month – Wrexham FC, British Library and historic carvings

The latest building control gateway 2 update from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) shows a continuing de-gumming of this new and complex process. The 12 weeks to 30 May saw an increase in approval rates across all categories of applications, including existing building safety projects, after it introduced an external remediation improvement plan in April. The plan introduced a new external remediation multidisciplinary team to mirror the Innovation Unit (IU) set up last September. This streamlines communication and processing through dedicated account managers. It also saw a recruitment drive to cut individual caseloads from an average of 25 down to around 10. For new builds, IU decisions overtook the number of new cases received in the period. Across all categories, BSR made 358 gateway 2 decisions, with a 75% approval rate. 65% of all decisions related to London cases. Applications representing 14,928 units were determined, of which 9,499 (64%) were approvals. There are currently 38,775 residential units in live cases. New applications for 13,964 units came in during the period. External remediation approvals up The IU approved 90% of cases – 28 out of 31 – in the period. London saw a 100% approval rate for its 19 case decisions. The regulator said this reflects the extra engagement with applicants. All-time IU approvals now stand at 43, with a median approval time of 22 weeks. The IU is currently managing 131 applications, representing 30,369 units. On external remediation, approval rates rose to 79% over the last 12 weeks, well above the minimum 65% end of year target for 2026. BSR credits operational improvements and intensive work to improve quality of applications. Currently, 16 legacy remediation applications from 2024 remain. A further 10 are on track to be determined in June. This is down from 42 outstanding at the beginning of 2026. BSR said the data show that 2026 applications are progressing faster than before. The average approval time is still 39 weeks in a rolling 12-week period, but BSR said this was “being skewed by our focus on closing out the older 2024/2025 applications”. People still waiting “We continue to see positive improvements in numbers of approvals for both new build and existing building remediation cases, as well as significantly faster decision times,” said acting BSR chief executive Charlie Pugsley. “This includes continued positive results from our Innovation Unit by working closely with applicants to safely resolve complex technical challenges. This positive engagement has seen a growing number of decisions and rising approval rates.” He added: “However, we recognise that people living in other unremediated buildings still want them to be fixed safely, and at pace.”

Experts warn of Building Safety Levy’s ‘unintended consequences’

News

Experts warn of Building Safety Levy’s ‘unintended consequences’

Images of the month – Wrexham FC, British Library and historic carvings

Met submits Grenfell files to prosecutors after ‘immense’ investigation

30 zero-emissions machines now working on Lower Thames Crossing

Can training simulators improve plant safety?

Architect complains to BSR over tortuous housing application

Technical

Scott Evans, Coniston Image: xxxxxx

The Coniston PM decarbonising Grade I-listed buildings

Inspecting the aftermath of the fire. Image: MSMR Architects

Things we learnt from the fire: two years on from the Somerset House blaze

Image: Dreamstime

How to bring a slipping job back: four key steps

Opinion

‘If we are to be sustainable – there is a huge amount to do on data centre design’

CM Readers’ Comments

Embodied carbon now an established core pricing variable for construction materials

Pablo Cristi Worm Aecom

Six reasons local authorities and developers should think timber-first

Prof Robert Hairstans

Robert Hairstans Centre for Advanced Timber Technology

Circularity’s becoming a requirement, so we need to start measuring it

David Cheshire, sustainability director, Aecom

David Cheshire Sustainability director, Aecom

People

Sir Robert McAlpine on what employers want

Image: Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com

Are we 10 years too late on technical education?

Image: Suchatbea | Dreamstime.com

Building the water workforce starts with showing young people what’s possible

Digital

Tower cranes on a London residential project for productivity framework story. Image: 150643242 | Construction © Fuzja44 | Dreamstime.com

University of Cambridge Laing O’Rourke Centre launches universal productivity measurement framework

Flux Fire Protection operative in action. Image: Flux Fire Protection

How Flux Fire digitised passive fire protection

Speakers on the Innovation Stage at Digital Construction North. Image: Digital Construction North

Digital Construction North reveals CPD speaker sessions

CPD

Design is a major area of risk on construction projects. Image: Dreamstime

CPD: Design responsibility on live projects

CPD: Materials management plans

CPD: Managing groundwater on construction sites

Video

New CIOB president Saul Humphrey is a consultant and professor of sustainable construction management at Anglia Ruskin University. Image: Rod Sweet.

‘We’re running out of time’: new CIOB president on net-zero backsliding

Scott will be released soon with cash in the bank and a full-time job already lined up. Image: Rod Sweet.

Prisoners building homes: new scheme tackles three big problems at once

Video | BAM uses helicopter to install heat pumps on top of London’s Broadgate Tower

Podcasts

podcast featured image

25 years on from 9/11, do tall buildings have a future?

podcast featured image

How can we live in this heat?

podcast featured image

Meet the prisoners building homes

CIOB Community

CIOB calendar

Diary dates: What’s on in October

Laurent Bolah MCIOB - winner of the CIOB Paul Dockerill Awards 2026

3D residential fire and safety simulation wins CIOB Paul Dockerill Award

CIOB past president’s son celebrates First Class Honours and CIOB Certificate of Excellence

Partner Content

Registration opens for Digital Construction North 2026

Protecting your assets: combating tools, plant and equipment theft in construction

What agency margin really costs UK contractors, and how direct hiring closes the gap

Legal

AI in the Technology and Construction Court: what the new TCC Guide means for you

‘Our client has changed the windows spec. Can we claim a variation?’

Five months into the new CIS fraud regime, silence does not mean safety

Academic

Image: 36911814 © 7xpert | Dreamstime.com

Comparing the use of AI and traditional software for the sustainable building design

When ‘yes’ doesn’t mean ‘I understand’: the hidden safety risk on multicultural construction sites

Social value. Image: Dreamstime

Social value and construction projects: can it be measured practically by FM clients?