Alex Pope on period properties being hit hard by BSA

Alex Pope is co-founder of VOZA Developments

With every month that passed, there were multiple significant residential schemes launched as cranes dominated the city’s skyline. However, the Grenfell fire in 2017 provided a wake-up call to regulators that building safety standards required substantial changes.

The subsequent Building Safety Act (BSA) drastically reformed the system for building safety and led to the introduction of the gateway process. While changes were crucial to avoid another disaster, the new regulation and the processes to comply have completely reshaped the development timeline for many UK residential schemes, with gateway 2 in particular proving a costly pressure point. In July 2025, only 16% of gateway 2 applications were approved, and 36% were either invalidated or rejected.

More than 800 new high-rise projects across the UK have stalled in the past 12 months, as the Building Safety Regulator has struggled to keep up with demand and developers have become bogged down in a lengthy and confusing process.

However, the area we specialise in – period property conversion and redevelopment – is one of the biggest victims due to the complex nature of legislation around older and listed homes before the gateway process even begins. For example, around 1.5 million homes in central London are leasehold, which in itself provides a range of covenants and restrictions around development and restoration, while many of these homes are within buildings listed as high risk, which adds further scrutiny in the gateway process.

In recent years, we have seen a significant rise in enquiries from homeowners, investors and even medium to large asset managers for support in navigating building safety regulations, with many unaware they owned a high-risk building.

High risk: the legislation around older and listed homes is complex before the gateway process even begins

This is a crucial detail that appears to be left off sales particulars and rarely warrants a mention from solicitors handling a purchase. This has to change. We have seen many clients added to the high-risk building register and afterwards see a significant amount of money added to their project to facilitate upgrades.

We have had instances where officers haven’t turned up to scheduled appointments, which has delayed the next build stage as nothing more can happen until an officer has approved the current build milestone as compliant.

The entire process, already lengthy and demanding, has led to costs escalating sharply, driven largely by substantial increases in consultant fees, and delays to what should be an eight- to 12-week process restricting progress in the development sector. Many are walking away from projects at the beginning due to a lack of financial viability.

This is leading to reduced activity in the property market and hampering the ability to meet new housing numbers, with a drop of 6% in total new homes delivered in 2024 compared with 2023 and a further drop predicted by the end of 2025.

The solution? Answers on a postcard, please. However, from our perspective the entire process needs improving, with better organisation and a more professional approach from those managing gateway applications. Communication is almost non-existent from the regulatory body until a decision is made, which doesn’t allow for improvements or adjustments to be made. If refused, the entire process has to be started again and fresh delays accounted for.

As with any project, success hinges on collaborating with teams who truly understand the process. By aligning with experienced professionals and ensuring applications are supported by the right technical and advisory teams, developers and clients can minimise delays, maintain control over costs and ultimately deliver smoother, more predictable outcomes during this critical stage and for their projects as a whole.

Alex Pope is co-founder of VOZA Developments