Types of Building Regulation Applications and Charges.
Full Plans Application
Plans need to be produced showing all
constructional details, preferably well in advance of your intended
commencement on site.
The Full Plans Application will be thoroughly
checked by the Local Authority who are required to pass or reject
your plans within a certain time limit; or they may add conditions
to an approval, with your written agreement. If they are
satisfied that the work shown on the plans complies with the
Regulations, you will be issued with an approval notice within a
period of five weeks or up to two months if you agree to this. This
will give you the protection of being able to show that your plans
were approved as complying with the Building Regulations.
Click here to view the guidance notes
and to download the Full Plans Application Form.
Building Notice
Application
(this cannot be used for work where the
building is to be put to a use designated under the Fire
Precautions Act 1971, such as a shop, office, hotel, boarding
house, or certain type of factory).
Under this option no detailed plans are required and once the
notice has been submitted you have to wait only 48 hours before
starting the work. This procedure is useful for carrying out
smaller projects, such as bathroom installations, minor structural
alterations and small domestic extensions. It does rely on the
person undertaking the work having some familiarity with Building
Regulation requirements or you risk having to correct works after
inspection. Close co-operation is required with yourself and/or
your builder and the Building Control Surveyor who will visit to
inspect the works at various stages, appropriate to the works being
undertaken.
No formal approval is given on a Building Notice procedure, nor
do you receive the same protection afforded by the Full plans
procedure. The whole process of making sure your work complies with
the Building Regulations is carried out at the site inspection
stage and falls on you or your builder's shoulders. This has one
major disadvantage, if a problem is found by your Building Control
Surveyor on his/her inspections, it will usually be after you have
carried out a significant amount of work, which you may then have
to take down and do again.
In both these cases your application or notice
should be submitted to the Local Authority and should be
accompanied by any relevant structural calculations, i.e. to
demonstrate compliance with safety requirements on the structure of
the building. It is advisable that this be undertaken by a
person competent to do so.
Click here to view
the guidance notes and to download the Building Notice Application
Form.
Regularisation
Application
It is quite common for alterations or
extensions undertaken without building regulation approval to cause
difficulties when you are selling a house.
This happens when the vendor cannot supply the
purchaser with the appropriate approval notice and/or completion
certificate. This calls into question the quality of building
construction and the structural integrity of the work. However, you
can now apply to Building Control for a Regularisation Certificate
for work undertaken after 11th November 1985 which will assist this
but you need to be aware that a fee is payable to the Council and
breaches to the building regulations may need to be rectified.
Click here to view
the guidance notes and to download the Regularisation Application
Form.
Demolition Application
If you intend to demolish a building, or part
of a building (an internal wall or conservatory for example) then
in most cases, you must notify the Council before doing
so. The Council may then impose requirements on the way the
demolition work is carried out. These may include;
- Limitations on the hours of work,
- Requirements to notify adjoining owners and service providers
(Gas, Water, Electricity etc),
- A ban on burning any materials on site.· Provisions to limit
the effects on adjoining properties (excessive dust, noise
etc),
- Provisions to remove and dispose of any asbestos found in the
building safely.
Please note that you must not start demolition
until you have;
- Notified the Borough Council of your intentions,
- Received a notice back from the Borough Council of any
requirements we have in your case.
As this may take up to six weeks, you should
notify us of your intentions as early as possible so that work is
not unnecessarily delayed. If you intend to carry out demolition
works, and are unsure if notification will be required in your
particular case, please contact us for advice. Please note that if
you intend to demolish a dwelling, you may also need to obtain
planning consent before doing so.
Click here to view
the guidance notes and to download the Demolition Application
Form.
Exempt Buildings
To be classified as a structure that is exempt
the requirements of the Building Regulations the following criteria
must be met;
For a detached garage, a garden shed or
green house to be exempt the building must comply with the
following;
- Be wholly detached,
- Not used for sleeping accommodation,
- Not to exceed 15 square metres in floor area,
- Not to be more than 30 square metres,
- Be sited at least one metre from any boundary to the property
or
be constructed substantially of non-combustible material.
For a conservatory, porch, carport or
covered way to be exempt the building must comply with the
following;
- The extension is at ground level,
- The extension does not exceed 30sq metres floor area,
- Any glazing complies with Part N of the Building
Regulations,
- The proposal does not affect an existing means of escape in
case of fire from the existing property,
- If in an area where high levels of Radon are present the
extension will incorporate the appropriate Radon protection
measures.
For commercial greenhouses, agricultural
buildings or buildings for housing animals to be exempt the
building must comply with the following;
- No part of the building to be used as a dwelling,
- The building will be sited 1.5 x the height of the building
from any building containing sleeping accommodation,
- The building is provided with fire exits such that no point in
the building is more than 30 metres from an exit,
- If the building is a greenhouse or agricultural building
it is not used for retailing, packing or exhibiting.
Level of Charges
Click here to download the fee
schedule for domestic work.
Click here to download the fee
schedule for non-domesic work.
Click here to download the
fee schedule for domestic energy assessments.
Online Payments
You may pay for your application on line by following this
link to the
Council's on-line payment service.
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