The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has reported the increase from 82% across the previous reporting period, with 287 of 340 building control decisions approved across higher-risk building (HRB) categories.
The new approvals represent 18,029 residential units. The median determination time for these applications was 22 weeks.
The majority of decisions made on new-build projects were in London, with 31 out of the 50 - 28 of which were approved.
This represents a 90% approval rate in the capital and covers 4,477 residential units. The median determination time for non-complex applications in London was 23 weeks.
Existing approvals also increased during the most recent reporting period, reaching 89% nationally (compared with 85% previously).
The BSR determined 118 remediation applications, approving 105 projects covering 8,667 residential units. In the capital, the remediation approval rate reached 96%, covering 3,936 units.
The regulator credits measures introduced through its external remediation plan in April 2026 with helping improve the processing of applications.
The number of remediation applications dating from 2024 has also fallen from 42 at the start of the year to 12. BSR currently has 327 active remediation cases nationally, representing 28,274 residential units.
Category A and B internal refurbishments accounted for 143 decisions, representing 43% of all Gateway 2 decisions. The approval rate for these applications was 78%, with a median determination time of 32 weeks.
For refurbishment applications submitted during 2026, the median determination time has fallen by 50% to 16 weeks. BSR is currently overseeing 1,082 active internal refurbishment cases.
There is also early activity with Gateway 3, with 346 applications received to date. Of these, 260 relate to internal refurbishments, while 45 are transitional cases and 23 concern NHS internal refurbishments.
During the latest reporting period, the BSR reviewed 16 Gateway 3 applications, achieving an 88% approval rate with a median determination time of 20 weeks. The quickest approval was completed in seven weeks.
There are currently 105 active Gateway 3 cases for internal works, 15 for NHS works and eight for external remediation. No new-build developments that have passed through Gateway 2 have yet progressed to an active Gateway 3 assessment.
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