Building Regulations

In addition to planning consent, you will need Building Regulations approval. These are standards set by parliament to ensure that buildings are soundly built and safe.
They cover: Fire Safety damp proofing thermal insulationsound insulationventilation hygenedrainage and waste disposal stairs conservation of fuel and power disabled access safety glazing.

The Building Regulations are administered by Building Control Officers usually employed by the local council.

There are two routes to getting Building Regulations approval: if your property is a single family house, you can use the Building Notice route. You or your builder simply complete a form, pay a fee and give the Council forty eight hours of your intention to start work. The forms are available from the Building Control Department of the Council and they will be able to advise on the appropriate fee.

The Building Control Officer will visit during the course of the works to inspect various stages as they are completed.

The Building Notice route is usually sufficient for small domestic works.

For more complex projects, or where the rules do not allow the simpler route, there is the Full Plans route. This involves the submission of detailed drawings and calculations, which are approved before the work starts.

TIP: you should allow five or six weeks in your programme for Full Plans approval. The plans and specifications required are much more detailed than for Town Planning Approval, so it is wise to get an indication of whether planning approval is going to be granted before commissioning detailed plans.

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