Red tape blamed for London housebuilding slump

The number of new homes being built in London has fallen to its lowest level since 2009, with only 1,210 new starts recorded in the first quarter of 2024. Industry leaders cite post-Grenfell cladding and fire safety regulations, overseen by the under-resourced Building Safety Regulator (BSR), for causing major delays for housebuilders. London is now on track to deliver just 5.5% of the government's 2025 housing target. Without urgent reform to the regulator's processes, construction of high-rise buildings critical to the capital’s growth could grind to a halt. One industry source said: "We are now firmly into existential crisis territory on building safety regulator performance and impact on the housing sector". A BSR spokeswoman commented: "BSR has had to reject around 70% of applications as they don’t contain the information that’s required by law and/or they don’t demonstrate compliance with building regulations".

The Sunday Times (27/04/2025)