The government says delays to building new high-rise homes will be unblocked through a new package of reforms to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) announced today. 

Reform, including a new Fast Track Process, changes to leadership and investment pave the way for the creation of a single construction regulator, as recommended by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Andy Roe, who has been commissioner of London Fire Brigade since 2020, has been appointed as non-executive chair of a new board of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to take on the functions of the BSR as part of initial steps towards creating a single construction regulator.  

Roe today retired from London Fire Brigade after 23 years' service as a firefighter. During his time as commissioner, he implemented major reforms following the inquiries into Grenfell and Brigade’s Culture Review, including completing all 29 of the recommendations from the first Grenfell Tower inquiry. Alongside this, he has worked to rebuild the brigade’s relationship with members of the Grenfell community.

He also led the brigade through the pandemic, where firefighters took on additional roles to support the wider pandemic response.

Roe will be supported by a new chief executive officer for the BSR, Charlie Pugsley.  

Pugsley has spent almost 30 years with London Fire Brigade and since 2024 has held the position of deputy commissioner/director of prevention, protection and operational policy.

The BSR is an independent body established by the Building Safety Act, 2022 and is part of HSE. The government asked HSE to establish BSR in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster and following recommendations in the Building a Safer Future report by Dame Judith Hackitt. 

Alex Norris, minister for building safety, said:  “The establishment of the Building Safety Regulator has been fundamental to centralising safety in the construction process and it’s time to take the next steps to build on that precedent and create a system that works for the sector whilst keeping residents and their safety at the heart of the process.  

“That’s why we’re announcing a package of reforms to the BSR today to enhance operations, reduce delays, and unlock the homes this country desperately needs – delivering on our Plan for Change.” 

The BSR is also introducing a new Fast Track Process which will bring building inspector and engineer capacity directly into the BSR to enhance the processing and review of existing newbuild cases and remediation decisions. This will respond to concerns in the sector around delays whilst crucially keeping building and residents’ safety at the core of the process.  

The BSR is also being bolstered with the addition of more than 100 new members of staff.

Andy Roe, non-exec chair of the BSR, said: “The creation of the new Building Safety Regulator was a watershed moment for housing and construction in this country.   

“However, it is also clear that the BSR processes’ need to continue to evolve and improve, to ensure that it plays its part in enabling the homes this country desperately needs to be built.  

“I look forward to working with colleagues both in industry and the BSR to tackle the current issues and delays head on and help get those homes built safely.”  

Chair of the Health and Safety Executive, Sarah Newton, added: “Setting up an entirely new regulator has been complex and huge progress has been made in a short space of time.  

“Protecting residents and making sure there is never another tragedy like Grenfell has been our priority throughout this process. We wish the new BSR team well in this most important mission. 

“We are very proud of the work we have done to establish the BSR. It was always an option that once the new regulator was established that it would move out of HSE to enable the government to implement the Grenfell Public Inquiry recommendations and we will work hard to enable the smooth transition to the next stage.”