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Building Regulations

• Introduction
• Legislation
• Technical Guidance
• Approval Process
• Scotland and Ireland

Introduction

• The Building Regulations apply to building work in England & Wales and set standards for the design and construction of buildings to ensure the safety and health for people in or about those buildings. They also include requirements to ensure that fuel and power is conserved and facilities are provided for people, including those with disabilities, to access and move around inside buildings.

Legislation

• The Building Regulations are currently the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) which replaced the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in May 2006.
• Read more on the DCLG website at www.communities.gov.uk.
• Read more on the Planning Portal website at www.planningportal.gov.uk

Technical Guidance

• Technical guidance on meeting the functional requirements of the Building Regulations is contained in a series of Approved Documents.

Approval Process

Where to get approval

• Building Control Bodies (BCBs) are responsible for checking compliance with the Building Regulations. There are two types of BCB:
• Local Authority Building Control (LABC). Read more on the LABC website at www.labc.uk.com.
• A private sector Approved Inspector Building Control (AIBC). Most Approved Inspectors are members of the Association of Corporate Approved Inspectors. Read more on the ACAI website at www.acai.org.uk.
• The LABC operates a "Partnership" scheme designed to help those companies that operate in multiple locations and deal with many local authorities. The scheme enables a company or adviser to have a one to one working relationship with a preferred local authority for advice and plan appraisal. The site inspections are carried out by the local authority where each project is carried out. This is, primarily, the LABC's response to the commercial threat posed by Approved Inspectors. More information is available from the Professionals section of the LABC website - see above.
• Read more on the Planning Portal website at www.planningportal.gov.uk

How to get approval

• How you obtain approval depends on whether you choose to use the Building Contol services of a Local Authority or an Approved Inspector.
• Read more on the Planning Portal website at www.planningportal.gov.uk

Determinations, relaxations, dispensations, and appeals

• ...

Scotland and Ireland

Scotland

• The Building Standards are administered by The Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), an executive agency of the Scottish Executive.
• Read more on the SBSA website at www.sbsa.gov.uk.

Northern Ireland

• The Building Regulations are the responsibibility of the Department of Finance and Personnel.
• Read more on the DFPNI website at www.dfpni.gov.uk.

Republic of Ireland

• The Building Regulations are the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government.
• Read more on the Department website at www.environ.ie.

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