HG Construction has secured its eighth Gateway 2 approval of 2025 after regulators signed off a 24 storey student tower in London.

The project for Alumno in Elephant and Castle signals that Building Safety Regulator decisions are now starting to move more quickly through the system.

The Maccreanor Lavington designed scheme will deliver 244 student rooms on a tight brownfield plot beside the railway arches on Rockingham and Tiverton Street. HG is expected to break ground on the brick clad tower in the New Year.

It marks a further lift in momentum for HG after the contractor completed a 13 week Gateway 2 process for Morro’s Hackney co living project which remains the fastest known approval to date.

Additional approvals have also been secured in London Manchester and Leeds.

HG Construction CEO Adam Quinn said: “We’re rounding off the year with eight Gateway 2 approvals, highlighting the strength and quality of our submissions and teams, and placing HG in an extremely robust position moving into 2026.”

Quinn said the year split cleanly in two, with early uncertainty across the industry giving way to a steady run of approvals from May onwards after HG secured its first sign-off at Medlock Street in Manchester.

In the second half of 2025, the contractor racked up seven more approvals in far shorter timeframes. Quinn puts the shift down to consistent regulator engagement, deeper collaboration across teams and lessons applied from every previous submission.

He said: “We have welcomed the willingness of the regulator to engage in an open and collaborative process, with a dedicated point of contact providing ongoing communication and feedback.

“Each time we compile a submission we have incorporated previous learnings, ensuring that the information is refined, relevant and aligned with the Regulator’s guidelines.”

Quinn added: “Getting to grips with the Building Safety Act has been a major challenge for the sector, but ultimately the changes will have a positive impact, and we welcome the regulatory shift,” he said.

“Looking ahead, I am confident that 2026 will see many more Gateway 2 submissions gaining approval within much shorter time frames. This will provide the sector, clients and funders with a much-needed confidence boost, and greater certainty around delivery timescales and the overall feasibility of schemes.”