If you’re looking to expand your home, convert a building or build new houses, you’ll want to make sure you have the right building regulations drawings in place. Without them, your project won’t be as successful as it could be, and your design won’t look as good.

What is a Building Regulation?

A Building Regulation is a set of rules and regulations designed to ensure the safety of people in or around a building. The Building Regulations include a number of Approved Documents (ADs) that cover the technical aspects of building work such as fire safety, ventilation, toxic substances, security, electrical safety, etc. Simply put, Building Regulations address the technical and design aspects of building work to protect the health and wellbeing of people within and around a building.

The Building Regulations are applicable to the vast majority of new constructions and alteration of existing buildings. To demonstrate that your project complies with the Building Regulations, you will need to submit the Building Regulations drawings to Building Control for approval. Your architect should draw up the application drawings for the Building Regulations based on the technical legislation set out in the approved Documents.

By designing your project to comply with Building Regulations, you ensure that your building maintains the required levels of comfort and standard of living, it is safe for occupants in and around the building, and has a good standard of construction.

If you’re not aware of the difference between Building Regulations approval and Planning Permission, here’s what you need to know: Building Regulations approval is not the same as planning permission. Building Regulations approval and planning permission are two different pieces of legislation. Sometimes you need both,

Sometimes one, or sometimes none at all.

How To Get Building Regulations Approval?

All local councils in England have a Building Control department. The local authority has a general obligation to ensure that building work meets the requirements of the building regulations. Your architect can apply for Building Regulations approval from your local council.

Instead of applying to your local authority for approval, the Government has introduced legislation allowing private approved inspectors to inspect work that needs to be approved by the building regulation. You can choose the type of building control body for your project. If you choose to use an approved inspector instead of a local authority building control service, your approved inspector should submit an ‘Initial Notice’ to your local authority before work commences on site. Once the Initial Notice has been submitted, the details of it will be checked by your local authority within a maximum of 5 working days after submission.

How long does building regulation approval take place?

‘Full Plans Building Control’ applications must be approved within 5 weeks of application or, if both parties have consented to the application, within a maximum of 2 months. Work can start before the approval notice but you must inform the building control body that you have applied for approval before larger works start on site. If your project does not meet certain requirements for any reason, plans can be altered before work commences on site if necessary, without additional construction costs.

Getting your plan approved is more simple if you have accurately drafted designs which Lizben Consult is an expert.