Building Regulations

Definition: Building Regulations are standards that ensure the health and safety of people in or around buildings. They are concerned with functional requirements such a buildings ability to conserve energy and be accessible to disabled people.

How Do Building Regulations Affect Me?

Both you and your builder are responsible for making sure that a Building Regulation application is made before you commence any building work on your property and that notification of the various stages of the work you intend to carry out is given to the Building Control and Licensing department in your local council. For more information regarding building regulations visit the website of Local Authority Building Control at LABC . They are an independent building control provider and offer lots of useful information plus they enable you to submit your CAD plans online. You can also go to planningportal.gov.co.uk. This site has an impressive interactive 3D diagram of a house that upon clicking certain features will tell you if you need planning permission or building control to change them.

Caution!

The responsibility for being compliant with building regulations rests with you. If you commence work without doing so your local authority may ask you to stop work and reverse the work you have done. This can be a costly exercise. You can appeal against this decision but if your appeal is denied and you continue to not comply you may face prosecution.