The Building Regulations are made under powers provided in the Building Act 1984, and apply in England and Wales. The current edition of the regulations is 'The Building Regulations 2010' (as amended) and the majority of building projects are required to comply with them. They exist to ensure the health and safety of people in and around all types of buildings (i.e. domestic, commercial and industrial). They also provide for energy conservation, and access to and use of buildings.
The Building Regulations contain various sections dealing with definitions, procedures, and what is expected in terms of the technical performance of building work. For example, they:
- define what types of building, plumbing, and heating projects amount to 'Building Work' and make these subject to control under the Building Regulations (see paragraphs 3.1-3.2);
- specify what types of buildings are exempt from control under the Building Regulations (Annex A gives examples of the more common types of building which are exempt);
- set out the notification procedures to follow when starting, carrying out, and completing building work;
- and set out the 'requirements' with which the individual aspects of building design and construction must comply in the interests of the health and safety of building users, of energy conservation, and of access to and use of buildings (see paragraphs 2.5 and 2.6)
If you are considering undertaking any development you must consider whether the project will need to have a Building Regulations application and /or planning permission. These are two separate applications and must be applied for individually.
For more information on whether you need an application please see the Interactive House provided by the Planning Portal through this external link:
Useful information with regard to the technical requirements of the Building Regulations can be found through the LABC website