Building Regulations

These define how a new building or alteration is to be built so that it is structurally safe, protected from risk of fire, energy efficient and has adequate ventilation for it's purpose. An application for Building Regulations approval is not advertised and only the person applying and the Local Authority are involved.

Building Regulations approval may be required even if Planning Permission is not.

Building Regulations approval is granted by the building control officers of local authorities, they are generally separate from the planning officials. Once approval has been given and work started, the local building Inspector will attend the site at specific stages to inspect the work, and they may change the requirements as the work progresses. The most common change is probably at the foundation stage when the Inspector will see the subsoil before the concrete is poured. If the inspector deems that the planned depth is insufficient, they can demand that the foundations be deepened before the concrete is laid (and you have to pay for the extra concrete).

Building Regulations have three purposes:

1. To ensure the health and safety of people in and around buildings.
2. The conservation of energy.
3. Access and facilities for disabled people.

When do I need Building Regulation Approval?

You will generally need to submit a Building Regulation Application before you start any building work. The following work is included :-

New buildings

Extending buildings.

Structural alterations e.g. widening existing openings, forming new openings, removing walls or chimneys.

Loft, garage or basement conversions to habitable rooms.

Drainage works installing new drainage or appliances, altering layout of appliances or below ground drains. Installation of boilers and heating systems.

Changing the current use of a building.

Non structural alterations that affect fire safety or access for people with disabilities.

Replacement windows in dwellings.

Brief history of the Building Regulations

Building Control has a long history going back many hundreds of years, first recorded in the time of King Herod who introduced a law which stated that 'should a man construct a building which falls down and kills another then this man should be slain '.

The first Building Control legislation within England dates back to the aftermath of the 'Great Fire' of London in 1666 when fire had spread rapidly between buildings. Shortly afterwards in 1667 the London Building Act was introduced which sought to achieve some degree of fire resistance in buildings.

As towns expanded as a result of the Industrial Revolution they faced similar problems and over the next 150 years many towns and cities introduced their own controls. Over this period the scope of the legislation increased addressing other issues such as party wall construction, drainage and sanitary matters. With so many local Acts in force, the standards varied greatly in different towns and cities throughout the country and this lead to the legislation becoming confusing and out of step throughout the country.

In 1875, the Public Health Act was introduced to bring a degree of consistency. This required urban authorities to make byelaws for new streets, with regard to the structure of buildings, to ensure stability and prevent fires, and in respect of health matters to provide for the drainage of buildings and the provision of air space around buildings. The Local Government Board in response issued the first model byelaws for new streets and buildings as a guide for urban authorities making their own byelaws. These byelaws were further extended in 1905 to cover the whole of the country.

A new concept of building legislation was developed with the introduction of the Public Health Act 1936. A single model series of controls regarding the construction and condition of buildings was introduced, together with the use of British Standards to indicate satisfactory compliance. This was a major step forward towards the legislation we have today unfortunately, as with all previous byelaws, these were only adoptive and not mandatory. Many local authorities still had their own local byelaws in force, which again led to varying standards in different parts of the country.

The above unsatisfactory situation eventually led to the introduction in 1966 of the first national (England & Wales) Building Regulations. For the first time the requirements they contained were mandatory and therefore local authorities had no choice but to enforce them.

Up until 1980 the cost of providing the Building Control Service was met wholly by the ratepayers. The government of the time considered this to be unfair and introduced the payment of fees by the applicants.

In 1984 the Building Act came into force and consolidated a number of acts that were applicable to Building Control. The Building Regulations 1985 introduced the concept of Approved Documents, which gave greater flexibility in the design of buildings.

The Building Regulations continue to be reissued and revised. Current regulations include measures of addressing more recent issues such as energy conservation and improved access and facilities for people with disabilities.

- James M

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