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BSR Gateway 2 Decision Data: May–July 2026 Snapshot
Updated 21 September 2026
7 min read
Data Monitor
Reviewed 13 September 2026
The two-minute summary
- BSR publishes building-control application data with stated reporting windows. This dated snapshot covers the May–July 2026 release: approval rates, median approval times and invalid or withdrawn applications.
- Release reviewed (May–July 2026, published 12 August 2026): new-build approval 91% of decisions (excluding invalid and withdrawn applications) at a 22-week median — up from 39% and 43 weeks a year earlier. Internal refurbishment remains the weakest category at 77%, with invalid/withdrawn applications outnumbering decisions.
- The recovery is real but uneven: remediation, internal works and London each show distinct profiles — and approval rates exclude the applications that never reached a decision.
- Check BSR’s publications for newer data; this page is not an automatically refreshed feed.
Release reviewed: May to July 2026
Published 12 August 2026. Decisions in the rolling 12 weeks to 1 August 2026:
| Category | Decisions | Approval rate (of decisions; excludes invalid and withdrawn applications) | Median approval time | Invalid or withdrawn |
|---|
| New HRBs & conversions | 45 | 91% | 22 weeks | 15 |
| External remediation | 110 | 85% | 34 weeks | 19 |
| Internal refurbishment | 166 | 77% | 32 weeks | 257 |
| NHS applications | 19 | 84% | 24 weeks | 9 |
What stands out
- The new-build recovery is dramatic: in the equivalent window a year earlier, new-build approval was 39% with a 43-week median. BSR attributes the change to its Innovation Unit, which in its first year determined 102 new-build applications, of which 76 (75%) were approvals or approvals with requirements.
- Internal refurbishment is the exposed category: 77% approval, a 32-week median, and 257 invalid-or-withdrawn applications against 166 decisions in the same 12 weeks. Notably, internal refurbishment applications submitted in 2026 show a 16-week median — this newer cohort should not be treated as evidence that submission quality alone caused faster decisions.
- Remediation beats its target: 85% nationally against BSR's stated 65% end-2026 target; 92% in London.
- London dominates volume: 65% of in-progress new-build applications and 58% of units under assessment; London new-build approval ran at 93% with a 23-week median.
- Complex cases (tracked separately) reached a 32-week median.
Baseline comparison
The August 2026 release compares new-build approval performance with the 12 weeks to August 2025: the approval rate rose from 39% to 91%, and the median fell from 43 to 22 weeks. These are different reporting cohorts, not a controlled comparison of application quality.
How to read this data
- Decision-stage rates exclude other outcomes. Invalid and withdrawn applications are reported separately from approvals and refusals. Internal works generated 257 of them in 12 weeks against 166 decisions — the pipeline matters as much as the headline rate.
- Category mix is everything. New build, remediation, internal refurbishment and NHS applications are assessed in different streams with markedly different profiles. "The Gateway 2 approval rate" is not one number.
- Keep observed medians separate from statutory assessment periods. The headline assessment period is up to 12 weeks for new builds (8 for existing-HRB work) unless an extension is agreed; medians of 22–34 weeks across categories show what actually happens.
- Case routing matters. Read the source’s separate Innovation Unit and complex-case figures before comparing categories or periods.
What the figures mean for applicants
Use the figures as dated context when assessing programme risk. A category median is neither a deadline nor a prediction for your project. Application complexity, case age, routing and further information can affect timing.
Invalid and withdrawn applications are reported separately from decisions. Withdrawal does not by itself establish defective information, and the combined total cannot support a claim that all such outcomes were preventable.
Check completeness and consistency before submission, and model delay scenarios using the cost-of-delay guide. These are editorial recommendations, not causal findings from the dataset.
Methodology and updates
This snapshot uses BSR’s May–July 2026 release, published 12 August 2026, and its own historical comparison. The category figures describe decisions in the stated rolling 12-week window. They do not track one fixed cohort from submission to outcome. Check the source for definitions and subsequent publications before relying on the figures. No next-release date or automatic update service is promised.
Frequently asked questions
How often does BSR publish this data?
Read the reporting period and publication date on each release. The release used here includes rolling 12-week figures; this article does not promise a fixed publication schedule.
Why do approval rates differ so much between sources?
Scope. Some figures count only decisions made (approvals vs refusals); BSR's datasets separately record invalid and withdrawn applications, which never reach a decision. Category mix (new build vs remediation vs internal works) also moves the blended number substantially.
Do approvals-with-requirements count as approvals?
Yes — BSR counts them within approvals; its Innovation Unit's first-year figure of 76 approvals-or-approvals-with-requirements out of 102 determinations is reported that way.
What's the practical planning number for a new-build application today?
The observed new-build median was 22 weeks in this release. Use it as one dated reference alongside project-specific advice and delay scenarios, not as a promised determination time.
Where does the historical 39% figure come from?
BSR's own comparison: in the 12 weeks to August 2025 — before the Innovation Unit — new-build approval was 39% with a 43-week median. Keep that reporting window attached to any comparison.
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