Building Regulations and Control

The Building Control Service of each local authority has a wide range of responsibility for building regulations, from ensuring safety in public buildings, through naming streets and numbering houses, to making sure that dwellings are structurally sound. Generally, you need to comply with building regulations and get approval from your local Building Control Officer when you:

• carry out structural alterations
• erect or extend a building - here size is important
• extend or alter a controlled service - for example, water and waste, by putting in a downstairs cloakroom
• change the use of a building - for example, by sectioning off some rooms to create a self-contained flat, or converting a warehouse or barn into a dwelling.

Additionally, building regulations cover some less obvious work, such as having cavity walls insulated. Seek advice as early as possible - unless the work is exempt, you have a legal requirement to tell the council about your intended work. You are entitled to start work two days after giving notice, but for major work it is better to wait until approval has been granted.

Applying For Building Control Approval

There are two types of application. The Building Control Service will advise you on the best one for your circumstances.

Building Notice

This is suitable for relatively simple work, such as putting in a new cloakroom or removing an internal wall. You need to submit:

• A site plan showing the site boundaries and the position of the public sewers if the application is for a new building or a simple single-storey extension. This is available from the council.
• A completed Building Notice application.
• The relevant fee. This is calculated according to the type and cost of the work involved.

Full Plans Submission

Required for more complicated work such as a double-storey extension or where the site presents problems with foundations or drainage. You will probably have to enlist professional help to draw up the plans. If successful, you will receive a formal notification that the plans have been passed. You need to submit:

• Two copies of the detailed drawings of the proposed work. The degree of specification required (such as foundations, roof construction and covering, and thermal insulation) depends on the extent of the work you are proposing.
• Two completed Full Plans applications.
• Two copies of a site plan showing site boundaries and the position of public sewers, available from the council.
• The relevant fee. This is calculated according to the type and cost of the work involved.