Tag: building safety levy

BSR Gateway 2 Approvals Reach 87% as the Building Safety Levy Starts: What London Flat Owners and Developers Must Know About Party Wall Timing in October 2026

Eighty-seven percent. That is the approval rate the Building Safety Regulator posted for Gateway 2 decisions in the twelve weeks to 5 October 2026, a figure that would have seemed implausible a year earlier, when approvals for new higher-risk buildings sat at just 39%. The data, released on 6 October 2026 and reported by London Construction Magazine, confirms a genuine acceleration in building control decisions across the capital. But for anyone who owns, leases, or is developing a flat near one of these projects, the real story is timing, and specifically, how Building Safety Regulator Gateway 2 approvals London party wall October 2026 interact with each other matters far more than most people realise.

London accounts for 60% of the national live new-build pipeline and nearly two-thirds of all live internal refurbishment cases. That concentration means thousands of leaseholders and adjoining owners across the city are about to find themselves inside, or next door to, a Gateway 2-approved project. Understanding the overlap between Gateway 2 and the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is no longer a niche legal point, it is becoming a mainstream property concern.

Key Takeaways

Gateway 2 approval rates hit 87% nationally for the 12 weeks to 5 October 2026, up from 77% in June and 84% in August, with 20,471 residential units cleared.
London’s new higher-risk building approvals ran at 97%, with a 22-week median determination, faster than the national 23-week figure.
Higher-risk building applications surged from 12 in June to 64 in September 2026, which the BSR links to the Building Safety Levy taking effect on 1 October 2026.
Because Gateway 2 can take 20 to 35 weeks, party wall notices, awards and schedules of condition should be progressed in parallel, not after approval lands.
Awards commonly require works to begin within 12 months, so programme slippage during Gateway 2 review can put that window at risk.

What the October 2026 Gateway 2 Figures Actually Show

The BSR’s twelve-week snapshot to 5 October 2026 is the clearest evidence yet that building control decisions are moving faster and more favourably for applicants than at any point since the regime began.

Category	Decisions / Approved	Approval Rate	Median Time
All Gateway 2 (national)	378 / 330	87%	varies by category
New HRBs and conversions (national)	57 / 55	96%	23 weeks (34 for complex)
New HRBs and conversions (London)	37 / 36	97%	22 weeks
Remediation (national)	110 / 96	87%	32 weeks (22 for 2026 apps)
Remediation (London)	54 / 52	96%	,
Internal refurbishment (A and B)	185 / 158	85%	31 weeks (21 for 2026 apps)

London’s live pipeline is substantial: 111 new-build applications covering 22,204 units, 180 live remediation cases covering 14,298 units, and 749 of the 1,109 national live internal refurbishment cases. Nineteen of the thirty live highly complex design cases nationally sit in London, carrying a 35-week median.

The BSR also recorded a sharp rise in higher-risk building application intake, from 12 in June to 17 in July, 34 in August and 64 in September 2026, which it attributes to developers moving before the Building Safety Levy took effect on 1 October 2026. The regulator has activated contingency and triage measures in response, and has reiterated that it “remains clear that materially sub-standard applications can be rejected where there is no realistic path to approval.”

Why Gateway 2 Projects Trigger the Party Wall Act

A higher-risk building, in the BSR’s definition, is at least 18 metres tall or has seven or more storeys and contains two or more residential units. Gateway 2 is the building control approval stage these projects must pass before construction can proceed.

What often gets overlooked is that Gateway 2 approval and party wall compliance are two entirely separate legal processes. Works on or near a higher-risk building, recladding, remediation, internal refurbishment, basement excavation, or extensions on an adjoining site, routinely fall within sections 1, 2 and 6 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. These sections cover new walls on the boundary, work to an existing party wall or structure, and excavations near a neighbouring building or structure.

Section 1 and section 2 notices require one month’s notice; section 6 notices for excavation work require two months. None of these notice periods are tied to when Gateway 2 approval is granted. A building owner can, and generally should, serve party wall notices well before building control sign-off arrives.

Why Timing Matters: Gateway 2 Delays Versus Party Wall Deadlines

With national median determination times ranging from 22 weeks for straightforward new London HRBs to 35 weeks for highly complex live cases, and internal refurbishment running at 21 to 31 weeks, there is a real mismatch between how long Gateway 2 review takes and how long a party wall award typically remains valid.

Party wall awards commonly require works to begin within roughly 12 months of the award being served. If a developer waits for Gateway 2 approval before even serving notice, and that approval then takes 30-plus weeks, the subsequent process of agreeing an award, arranging a schedule of condition and mobilising contractors can quickly eat into that 12-month window, particularly on the complex London schemes where 35-week medians are now typical.

The sensible approach, and the one this practice recommends to clients, is to run the two processes in parallel:

Serve notices under the relevant sections of the Party Wall Act as soon as design information is sufficiently fixed, without waiting for Gateway 2 sign-off.
Agree the party wall award and complete schedules of condition while Gateway 2 review is ongoing.
Build in contingency, recognising that BSR’s own major change request data shows even “closed” changes take a 7-week median against a 6-week statutory target.

What Adjoining Owners in London Blocks Should Expect

Leaseholders in blocks adjacent to a higher-risk building project should expect a notice to arrive at some point during, not necessarily after, the Gateway 2 process. Given that 749 of the UK’s 1,109 live internal refurbishment cases sit in London, and that remediation activity in the capital is running at a 96% approval rate across 180 live cases, the odds of receiving a notice are rising steadily for anyone in or near a converted or remediated block.

Adjoining owners have the right to appoint their own surveyor, request a schedule of condition before works start, and have their surveyor’s reasonable fees covered by the building owner. Guidance on what a party structure notice means and how to respond is a useful starting point for anyone unsure of their position.

What This Means for You

Whether a project is a new higher-risk build, a remediation scheme, or an internal refurbishment inside an existing block, Gateway 2 approval and party wall compliance now need to be managed side by side rather than sequentially. This practice provides party wall surveyor services across every London borough, including dedicated coverage in South London, East London, North London, West London and Central London.

For developers and contractors, that means serving notices early, securing awards before Gateway 2 clearance lands, and building realistic contingency into programmes so the 12-month works window in an award is not wasted waiting on building control. For flat owners and leaseholders, it means understanding that a notice arriving while Gateway 2 is still under review is normal, not premature, and that adjoining-owner representation protects your interests regardless of where the building control process stands. Those wanting to understand likely fees before engaging a surveyor can review how party wall costs are structured and practical ways to keep those costs down.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Gateway 2 approval replace the need for a party wall award? No. Gateway 2 is a Building Safety Regulator building control approval. A party wall award under the 1996 Act is a separate legal requirement whenever notifiable work affects a shared wall, structure, or nearby excavation.

Can I serve a party wall notice before Gateway 2 approval is granted? Yes, and it is usually advisable. Notice periods of one or two months, plus award negotiation, can take considerable time, so starting early helps avoid delay once Gateway 2 clears.

What happens if Gateway 2 review overruns the party wall award’s start deadline? Awards commonly require works to begin within around 12 months. If Gateway 2 review pushes beyond that, the award may need to be revisited or a new one agreed before works can lawfully start.

Why are more higher-risk building applications being submitted now? BSR data shows intake rose sharply from June to September 2026, which the regulator links to developers acting before the Building Safety Levy took effect on 1 October 2026.

What should I do if I receive a party wall notice linked to a nearby HRB project? Respond within the statutory timeframe, consider appointing your own surveyor, and request a schedule of condition before works begin to protect your position.

Are London approval rates different from the rest of the country? Yes. London’s new HRB approval rate was 97% against a 96% national figure, with a 22-week median determination versus 23 weeks nationally, though complex London cases run to a 35-week median.

Conclusion

The October 2026 BSR figures confirm that Gateway 2 decision-making has genuinely sped up, with London leading much of that activity. But faster building control does not shorten the separate obligations owners and developers carry under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Anyone involved in a higher-risk building project, or living next to one, should treat party wall notices, awards and schedules of condition as a parallel track to run alongside Gateway 2, not a step to defer until approval is in hand. Early notice service, prompt award agreement, and realistic programme contingency remain the most reliable ways to avoid delay and dispute as London’s building control pipeline continues to move at pace.

October 14, 2026

Building Safety Levy London Rates 1 October 2026: What Developers and Party Wall Teams Need to Know

One week ago, London’s development industry crossed a line it had been bracing for since the policy was first announced. On 1 October 2026, the Building Safety Levy went live, and every qualifying residential scheme submitted for building control from that date now carries a new cost line that did not exist a fortnight earlier. The Building Safety Levy London rates 1 October 2026 developers party wall question is no longer theoretical. It is sitting in live cost appraisals, cash-flow models and site meetings across the capital right now.

This matters well beyond head office finance teams. Project managers sequencing demolition and construction, neighbours expecting Party Wall etc. Act 1996 notices, and contractors pricing mid-size schemes all need to understand how the levy interacts with existing processes. This article sets out the rates, who pays, the exemptions, and what the levy changes for development and party wall works in practice.

Key Takeaways

The levy applies to building control applications and initial notices submitted on or after 1 October 2026 for major residential development of at least 10 new dwellings, or at least 30 purpose-built student bedspaces.
The 10-dwelling threshold is tested against the whole planning permission, so splitting a scheme into several smaller building control submissions does not avoid liability.
London borough rates vary widely per square metre of chargeable floorspace, with a reduced rate for sites that are at least 75 percent previously developed land.
The named client on the building control application is legally responsible for paying the levy, and a completion certificate cannot be issued until it is settled.
Party wall procedures under the 1996 Act continue unchanged alongside building control; most single-house extensions and loft conversions sit below the levy threshold entirely.

The Building Safety Levy London Rates 1 October 2026 Developers Party Wall Regime Explained

The levy is a national charge designed to raise around £3.4 billion over roughly ten years, funding the remediation of unsafe buildings. It sits alongside, not instead of, existing building control fees and Party Wall Act obligations.

Liability is triggered by the building control application or initial notice, not by planning permission or start of works. Any qualifying application lodged on or after 1 October 2026 falls inside the regime. Crucially, an application submitted and then rejected before that date, then resubmitted afterwards, becomes liable at that point. There is no grandfathering for resubmissions.

Who Pays and Which Schemes Qualify

A scheme qualifies as a “major residential development” if it delivers at least 10 new dwellings, or at least 30 purpose-built student accommodation bedspaces. This threshold is assessed against the entire planning permission covering the site.

That detail matters for phased schemes. A developer cannot carve a 24-home permission into three building control applications of eight homes each to sit under the threshold. Regulators look at the permission as a whole.

The client named on the building control application or initial notice holds statutory responsibility for payment. Local authorities collect the charge. For schemes using the Building Safety Regulator’s gateway process on higher-risk buildings, the same principle applies: no settled levy, no completion certificate.

Borough Rates for the Building Safety Levy London Rates 1 October 2026 Developers Party Wall Charge

Rates are set per square metre of new chargeable floorspace and vary significantly by borough. A reduced rate applies only where at least 75 percent of the land within the permission’s red line boundary is previously developed land.

Borough	Standard rate (per m²)	Previously developed land rate (per m²)
Kensington and Chelsea	£100.35	£50.17
Westminster	£98.01	£49.01
Hammersmith and Fulham	£91.87	£45.94
Camden	£87.12	£43.56
City of London	£87.04	£43.52

The previously developed land rate is a 50 percent reduction on the standard rate, available only where the 75 percent threshold is met across the whole site.

Chargeable floorspace means new residential gross internal area, including qualifying communal areas. Affordable housing and other exempt accommodation within a scheme are excluded from the calculation, even where the wider development is otherwise liable.

Worked Example: A Westminster Scheme

Numbers make this concrete. Take a 40-home scheme in Westminster with 3,000 square metres of chargeable floorspace.

At the standard rate: 3,000 m² multiplied by £98.01 gives a levy bill of approximately £294,000.
At the previously developed land rate: 3,000 m² multiplied by £49.01 gives approximately £147,000, provided at least 75 percent of the site meets the previously developed land test.

That is a meaningful six-figure cost, not a rounding error in a viability appraisal, but it is a far cry from the “millions” some early commentary implied. For schemes of this size, the levy is a line item to budget accurately, not an existential threat to deliverability on its own.

Exemptions from the Levy

Several categories sit outside the charge entirely:

Developments below the 10-dwelling or 30-bedspace threshold.
Social and supported housing.
Specified accommodation including hospitals, care homes, hospices, hotels, hostels, children’s homes, refuges, prisons, almshouses and temporary homeless accommodation.
Non-profit registered providers and their wholly owned subsidiaries.

Joint ventures are not automatically exempt, even where a registered provider is one partner. Structuring matters here, and legal advice on the delivery vehicle should happen before the building control application is drafted, not after.

What This Means for Development Viability and Programme

For mid-size London schemes, the levy adds a new fixed cost that must be modelled early, ideally at the land acquisition and planning stage rather than discovered at building control submission. Three practical pressures stand out:

Viability. The charge is payable regardless of sales performance or build cost inflation. Appraisals for schemes around the 10-home threshold should treat the levy as a near-certain cost, not a contingency.

Cash flow. After commencement information is submitted, the local authority can take up to eight weeks to issue a levy liability notice or a notice of no charge. That lag needs to sit inside the programme, because the levy must be settled before a completion certificate is issued. For higher-risk buildings, the Building Safety Regulator will not issue a completion certificate while any balance is outstanding.

Submission strategy. Developers weighing whether to submit before or after a borough boundary change, or whether to phase a scheme, need to remember the whole-permission test. Attempting to engineer smaller submissions purely to dodge the charge is unlikely to succeed and could delay the project further.

Party Wall Works Still Run Alongside Building Control

A common misconception is that the levy changes neighbour relations or party wall procedure. It does not. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 process, serving notices, agreeing schedules of condition, appointing surveyors and issuing awards, runs entirely separately from building control and the levy.

For most domestic projects, this distinction is simple: a typical single-house extension or loft conversion falls well below the 10-dwelling threshold and is not charged the levy at all, even though party wall notices may still be required if the works are near a shared boundary. It is only once a scheme reaches the scale of a genuine multi-unit residential development, converting a building into ten or more flats, for example, that both regimes can apply in parallel: party wall awards governing the physical works next to a boundary, and the levy governing the building control charge for the development as a whole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the levy apply to a single house extension or loft conversion? No. These projects almost always fall well under the 10-dwelling or 30-bedspace threshold and are not liable, though party wall notices may still be needed separately.

Can a developer avoid the levy by splitting a scheme into smaller building control applications? No. The threshold is tested against the whole planning permission, so phased or split submissions covering the same permission remain liable.

What happens if a building control application was submitted before 1 October 2026? It stays outside the regime. However, if that application was rejected before 1 October and resubmitted afterwards, it becomes liable.

Who is legally responsible for paying the levy? The client named on the building control application or initial notice, not the contractor or the eventual homeowner.

How long does it take to get a levy liability notice? Local authorities can take up to eight weeks after commencement information is provided to issue a levy liability notice or a notice of no charge.

Does paying the levy affect party wall surveyor appointments? No. Party wall matters under the 1996 Act are handled independently of building control and the levy, though both processes typically run concurrently on larger schemes.

Conclusion

The Building Safety Levy London rates 1 October 2026 developers party wall framework is now an operating reality, not a future compliance date. Borough rates range from roughly £87 to over £100 per square metre, previously developed land can halve that cost, and the whole-permission threshold test closes off obvious avoidance routes. For schemes of 10 homes or more, the practical next steps are clear: model the levy into viability appraisals now, build the eight-week notice window into the completion programme, confirm whether any exemption applies before finalising the delivery structure, and keep party wall notices and awards moving on their own separate track. Developers who treat this as a routine budgeting and scheduling task, rather than a crisis, will clear building control with far less friction.

October 8, 2026

Cleverly London New Build £100,000 Bureaucracy Claim: Party Wall Developers October 2026 Reaction

A flat that costs £375,000 today could, according to one mayoral hopeful, cost £275,000 if London simply stripped out its red tape. That is the striking number now circulating among developers, homeowners and the people who build next door to them. The Cleverly London new build £100,000 bureaucracy claim party wall developers October 2026 story broke on 5 October 2026, when Sir James Cleverly set out his pitch to become the Conservative candidate for London Mayor, and it has reignited a long-running argument about what actually drives up the price of a London home.

For anyone planning to build, extend or live next door to a development, the headline figure matters less than the detail underneath it. This article sets out what Cleverly actually said, what makes up the real cost of a London new build, and why one piece of “bureaucracy”, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, is not going anywhere, whatever happens in the mayoral race of May 2028.

Key Takeaways

Sir James Cleverly claimed on 5 October 2026 that bureaucracy, taxes and charges add roughly £100,000 to the cost of a new London property, but offered no breakdown of which levies he would cut.
The real London new-build cost stack includes land value, construction, finance, the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), Mayoral CIL, Section 106 affordable housing contributions, biodiversity net gain (BNG) obligations and the new Building Safety Levy, which took effect on 1 October 2026.
ONS data shows more people are leaving London for towns like Braintree, Maidstone, Milton Keynes and Hemel Hempstead than are arriving from the rest of the UK, adding political weight to the affordability debate.
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is primary legislation, not a mayoral levy, it cannot be abolished by City Hall and will continue to apply to new-build and infill schemes regardless of planning or tax reform.
Developers and neighbours should budget time and cost for party wall notices and awards early in any project planning next to shared walls, boundaries or deep excavations.

What Cleverly Actually Claimed About London New Build Costs

Speaking as he launched his bid for the Conservative nomination, Cleverly, who announced his candidacy in August 2026 and will not seek re-election as MP for Braintree, argued that “the accumulated cost of bureaucracy, taxes, and various other things adds about £100,000 per property onto new build properties in London.” He suggested that removing this burden could bring a flat priced between £350,000 and £400,000 down to somewhere between £250,000 and £300,000, reported Property Industry Eye’s Marc da Silva.

Crucially, Cleverly did not specify which taxes, levies or regulatory requirements he would scrap, or set out any mechanism to guarantee that savings would be passed on to buyers rather than absorbed by developers or landowners. He also said he would review council tax, transport costs and driving charges as part of a wider affordability platform ahead of the May 2028 election. The election itself is some way off, and Cleverly’s claim is, at this stage, a political statement rather than a costed policy.

He linked the affordability argument to migration figures from the Office for National Statistics. In the year to mid-2025, 420,500 people moved from London to other parts of the UK and a further 183,000 moved abroad, while 288,500 arrived in London from elsewhere in the UK and 235,000 came from overseas. Among the most popular destinations for those leaving London were Braintree, Maidstone, Milton Keynes and Hemel Hempstead, all commuter towns offering cheaper housing than the capital.

The Real Cost Stack Behind London New Build Prices

Unpicking the £100,000 figure requires understanding what genuinely sits inside the price of a new London home. Housebuilders and planning consultants typically point to a stack of costs that goes well beyond a single tax line.

Land value. In many London boroughs, land remains the single largest cost component, often dwarfing construction costs on a per-unit basis in high-demand areas.

Construction costs. Materials, labour, plant hire and site logistics in a dense city are all more expensive than in regional England, partly due to access constraints on tight urban plots.

Finance costs. Development finance, interest payments during the build period and contingency reserves add up, particularly on longer schemes delayed by planning or supply issues.

Planning and infrastructure levies. This is where most of the political argument actually sits:

Charge	What it funds	Applies to
Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)	Local infrastructure, roads, schools, open space	Most new development over a threshold
Mayoral CIL	Crossrail and strategic transport infrastructure	London-wide new development
Section 106 contributions	Affordable housing, local amenities	Site-specific, negotiated with the borough
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)	Habitat creation or offsetting	Most new development since BNG rules took effect
Building Safety Levy	Remediation of unsafe buildings	New residential development from 1 October 2026

The Building Safety Levy only began applying to new residential development in England on 1 October 2026, almost exactly when Cleverly made his claim, adding fresh weight to the cost-stack debate. Separately, the Conservative Party conference pledged to merge various building levies into a single, simplified levy, suggesting that reform of some kind is already on the table regardless of who wins the mayoralty.

Professional and compliance fees. Architects, planning consultants, building control, structural engineers, fire safety consultants and party wall surveyors all charge for their work, and all are necessary to get a scheme built safely and lawfully.

Supporters of deregulation argue that trimming overlapping levies and streamlining planning would lower build costs and, over time, prices. Those defending the current system point out that CIL, Mayoral CIL and Section 106 money directly fund new infrastructure, schools and affordable housing, remove the charge and you remove the funding stream, not just the cost. The national picture adds urgency either way: net additional dwellings in England fell 4.4% to 199,500 in 2025-26, meaning fewer homes are being delivered even before any policy change is weighed.

Why Party Wall Law Sits Outside the Cleverly London New Build £100,000 Bureaucracy Claim

Whatever happens to CIL, Mayoral CIL or the Building Safety Levy, one legal obligation on London developers will not change because of mayoral policy: the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. This is primary legislation passed by Parliament, not a council or Greater London Authority charge, and no Mayor of London has the power to repeal it, suspend it or reduce its notice periods.

That distinction matters for anyone following the Cleverly London new build £100,000 bureaucracy claim party wall developers October 2026 debate and wondering whether party wall compliance might be swept up in future deregulation. It will not be, because the Act exists to protect a legal right that has nothing to do with planning fees or infrastructure levies: an adjoining owner’s right not to have their property damaged or devalued by a neighbour’s building works without proper notice, process and, where necessary, compensation.

When the Party Wall Act Applies to London Developments

Dense London building almost always means construction near, on, or under a boundary shared with a neighbour. The Act covers three main scenarios:

Section 1, building a new wall at or astride the boundary line between two properties, including many infill and backland new-build schemes.
Section 2, work to an existing party wall or party structure, such as cutting in beams, raising a wall, or underpinning a shared wall.
Section 6, excavating within 3 metres of a neighbouring building where the new foundations will go deeper than the neighbour’s, or within 6 metres where a line drawn at 45 degrees from the base of the neighbour’s foundations would be crossed.

For a closer look at where these boundaries lie in practice, see this guide on boundary rules and how close a neighbour can build to a fence, and the broader explanation of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 itself.

Notice Periods and the Award Process

Developers must serve the correct notice before starting relevant work:

Two months’ notice for Section 1 and Section 2 works.
One month’s notice for Section 6 excavation work.

Once served, an adjoining owner can consent, dissent and appoint their own surveyor, or stay silent, silence after 14 days is treated as dissent, triggering the formal surveyor process. Where owners do not agree, one or two party wall surveyors (or a third surveyor if needed) prepare a party wall award setting out the work permitted, how it will be carried out, and provisions for a schedule of condition and access. More detail on the mechanics is available in this overview of party wall awards and what a party structure notice is and how to serve it in London.

What This Means for Developers Budgeting in 2026

Party wall costs are a genuine, if modest, line in the overall cost stack, typically covering surveyor fees for both sides, schedules of condition, and any monitoring during works. Developers who build this into their programme and budget early, rather than treating it as an afterthought, avoid the delays that come from late notice service or disputed awards. Practical cost-control guidance is set out in this piece on how to keep party wall costs down, while the different categories of notifiable work are summarised in types of party wall works.

What This Means for Neighbours of New Build Schemes

For homeowners receiving a notice about works next door, whether a loft conversion, basement dig, or full infill new build, the Act is a protection, not a formality to ignore. Responding promptly, appointing a surveyor if needed, and securing a schedule of condition before work starts are the best ways to protect a property’s structure and value. Guidance on notices and responses is available in Party Wall Act notices: what they are and how to respond, and on the risks of proceeding without a surveyor.

Homeowners and developers across the capital can find local support through regional pages covering North London, Central London, West London, East London and South London.

Balancing the Deregulation Argument With Infrastructure Funding

The debate sparked by Cleverly’s comments is genuinely two-sided. Those backing deregulation argue that London’s layered system of CIL, Mayoral CIL, Section 106 and the new Building Safety Levy stacks too many separate charges onto each unit, discouraging the smaller schemes that could add supply quickly. The Conservative conference pledge to merge levies into one reflects this view.

Those defending the current charges argue that CIL funds roads and schools, Mayoral CIL has helped pay for Crossrail-scale transport infrastructure, Section 106 delivers affordable homes that would not otherwise exist, and the Building Safety Levy funds remediation of genuinely unsafe buildings following well-documented safety failures. Cutting these charges without an alternative funding source, they argue, simply shifts the cost elsewhere, onto taxpayers, onto future building safety risk, or onto reduced affordable housing delivery.

Both positions can be true at once: London new-build costs are high, and the charges that contribute to that figure also fund things Londoners rely on. What the £100,000 claim lacks, for now, is the itemised detail that would let either side test it properly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Sir James Cleverly say which £100,000 of costs he would cut? No. He referred broadly to “bureaucracy, taxes, and various other things” without naming specific levies, taxes or regulations he would remove.

Is the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 one of the charges Cleverly is talking about? No. The Act is not a tax or levy, it is primary legislation protecting adjoining owners’ property rights during building works, and it cannot be abolished through mayoral or planning policy.

Will the Building Safety Levy affect new London flats? Yes. It took effect on new residential development in England from 1 October 2026 and sits alongside CIL, Mayoral CIL and Section 106 as part of the overall development cost stack.

What should a developer do first when planning works near a boundary? Identify whether Section 1, 2 or 6 of the Act applies, then serve the correct notice (one or two months depending on the works) well before the planned start date, and budget for surveyor fees and a schedule of condition.

What happens if a neighbour ignores a party wall notice? Silence for 14 days is treated as dissent, which triggers the formal surveyor appointment and award process rather than allowing work to proceed unchecked.

Could future reform of London levies affect party wall timelines? Potentially, if administrative processes change, but the core notice periods and award process under the 1996 Act are set by statute and are not subject to London mayoral policy.

Conclusion

The Cleverly London new build £100,000 bureaucracy claim party wall developers October 2026 story highlights a real tension in London housing: costs are high, delivery is falling, and people are leaving for cheaper towns. But the £100,000 figure remains an unverified political claim rather than a costed, itemised plan, and genuine reform will need to grapple with the fact that CIL, Mayoral CIL, Section 106 and the Building Safety Levy each fund something specific.

For developers and neighbours alike, the practical lesson is simpler and more immediate. Party wall obligations are not part of this political argument and will not be removed by any future Mayor. Anyone planning works near a boundary, or receiving a notice about works next door, should seek early, qualified advice. Contact Party Wall Surveyor London to discuss notice requirements, awards, and how to protect a project or a property as London’s new-build debate continues through 2026 and beyond.

October 5, 2026