Your Local Authority has a general duty to see that building work complies with the building regulations - except where it is formally under the control of an Approved Inspector.
To ensure that your particular building work complies with the regulations you must use one of the two services available to check and approve plans and inspect the work as appropriate.
The two services are the Local Authority Building Control Service or the service provided by the private sector in the form of Approved Inspectors.
Fees are payable for either service and the Building Control Service may offer advice before your work is started.
What are the Building Regulations?
The Building Act 1984 allows for the creation by the secretary of state of regulations to control the minimum standard of building work.
The standards exist to protect the health and safety of people in and around buildings, to provide for energy conservation and to provide access and facilities for disabled people.
The regulations are referred to as the Building Regulations and take the form of simple functional requirements that must be met. In total there are 13 parts (A-H and J-N) to the standards.
They cover subjects such as structure, fire safety, ventilation, drainage and glazing (a full list is given below).
Each of the 13 parts is supported by a separate document called an approved document, which contains practical and technical guidance on ways in which the requirements can be met. Copies can be viewed on the DCLG website. The documents legal standing is also under review. The principle behind the regulations being in functional form is to allow designers and builders flexibility in the methods and designs they employ.
The approved documents are only one method of complying with the requirements but have become almost the standards to be adhered to. Other guidance does exist on good building practice, British Standards and Codes of Practice being examples. With the thrust to the European Community, it is likely European standards will soon exist and these need to be addressed. Proposed amendments are currently available for consultation and persons wishing to know more can visit the DCLG website.
