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The UK government is preparing to ease broadband installation requirements in high-rise residential buildings across England. This move comes in response to concerns that strict safety regulations introduced after the Grenfell Tower tragedy are causing significant delays, preventing many residents from upgrading their internet connections. Industry representatives have criticized the current fire safety rules, stating that they have led to prolonged hold-ups for relatively simple tasks, such as laying fibre-optic cables.
Labour has expressed its intention to remove the obligation for building safety officials to approve installation work inside these buildings before it commences. This proposal forms part of wider efforts to accelerate the post-Grenfell building safety framework, which has faced criticism for the lengthy time it takes to grant work approvals. Under the existing legislation, any work inside residential buildings taller than 18 meters must gain prior authorization from the building safety regulator (BSR), a process introduced after the 2017 fire to enhance safety standards.
According to voices from the construction sector, the lengthy approval timelines at the BSR—often lasting several months—are hindering the development of new housing projects, especially in London. This delay poses a risk to the government’s goal of delivering 1.5 million new homes by the next election cycle. Telecom industry groups are also troubled by the hold-ups, as some property owners, including local councils, refuse to permit broadband installation until official authorization is obtained. The Internet Services Providers Association estimates that hundreds of thousands of such broadband upgrades have effectively been stalled, impacting residents’ ability to improve or switch their internet services.
In light of these issues, the housing department published a policy document acknowledging that these delays were an unintended side effect of the post-Grenfell safety measures and could jeopardize government targets for gigabit-capable broadband coverage. Recent discussions at the end of last year led to plans that would remove the need for prior BSR approval to bore holes inside flats for fibre-optic cables, classifying this activity as “low-complexity and routine.” Following these proposed adjustments, installers would only be required to notify the BSR once the work is finished. These changes are expected to be implemented through minor amendments to current building safety regulations after a brief consultation period closing in March.
Additional promises from the government include further steps this spring aimed at streamlining approval procedures for minor building work and fire door maintenance inside homes. Building Safety Minister Samantha Dixon reassured the public that these modifications would not compromise oversight of high-risk construction tasks, stating, “Building homes quickly and building them safely are not in conflict.” Despite this assurance, campaigners such as Tower Blocks UK have raised safety concerns, warning that allowing drilling without prior scrutiny may create “hidden pathways for smoke and fire spread” in tall buildings. They assert that this approach contravenes a fundamental post-Grenfell principle that safety must be incorporated and verified before any work begins. The group also suggested that, pending safe installation, temporary solutions like free 4G or 5G internet could be considered for urgent connectivity needs.
In other developments, the government has reiterated its commitment to the post-Grenfell safety regime but acknowledged the necessity of reforms to expedite the approval process at the BSR. Among the changes, the regulator has been moved out of the Health and Safety Executive and into the housing department. Additionally, ministers plan to revamp how applications are managed and increase staffing to reduce the current backlog. Andy Roe, who became the chairman of the BSR last summer, reported improvements at a recent conference, noting that average approval times for new high-rise developments have decreased from over 40 weeks to around 13 to 15 weeks. However, approval for remediation work continues to face longer delays, with average wait times reportedly remaining near 34 weeks
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