Building regulations - obtaining approval

Before undertaking any building work which requires Building Regulation approval, you or your agent must submit either:

A Full Plans Application, or

A Building Notice.

A Full Plans Application is suitable for all building work.

Under this method the plans are examined by the Building Control Surveyor within an agreed 5 or 8 week period. When the plans are found to comply with the Building Regulations, or are amended to show compliance an official approval notice will be issued.

The benefit of following this route is that if the work is carried out in accordance with the approved plans only minor contraventions, which can be easily corrected, may occur on site.

A Full Plans submission should contain   

1. A completed ‘Full Plans’ application form.
2. Two sets of plans drawn to a scale of not less than 1:100 to show that the works to be carried out complies with the Building Regulations. This would normally include plans, sections, elevations, and structural calculations where appropriate. The minimum standards of design and construction are specified in a set of technical guides called " Approved Documents" which illustrate one method of meeting the requirements of the Building Regulations. It is suggested that any design or construction shown should be based on the Approved Documents.
3. Two copies of a site or location plan drawn to a scale of not less than 1:1250 indicating the proposal, the site boundaries and position of any public sewers.
4. The appropriate fee (see section on Building Regulation Charges)
5. Applications for work relating to commercial buildings must contain four sets of plans, two sets will be sent to the Fire Officer for consultation. 

Charges for this option are payable in two stages. A charge is payable on submission (Plan Fee) and a further charge is payable after the first inspection (Inspection Fee). The invoice for the Inspection Fee will be sent directly to the applicant.

In some cases however both the first and second fee are payable on submission of the application.

See Building Regulation Charges for more information.

A Building Notice is suitable for minor works including replacement windows,electrical installations, minor internal alterations. Control of the work is carried out on site after each part is completed, and any contraventions of the Regulations discovered by the Building Standards Surveyor may require the removal or alteration of the offending work.  

A Building Notice submission should contain 

1.One completed ‘Building Notice’ application form, and

a) If the proposal is for a new building or extension, the Notice should   contain a site or location plan drawn to a scale of not less than 1:1250 indicating the site, proposed work, boundaries and position of the public sewers.

b) The appropriate fee. 

Both the plan fee and the inspection fee must be paid in full when you deposit your application.

Important Note

A Building Notice cannot be used for work in connection with Commercial Buildings or for building work over or near a public sewer, these will require a Full Plans submission.

Plans and/or structural calculations may still be required depending on the complexity of the proposed work

Plans deposited with a Building Notice will not be approved under the Building Regulations. They will be used for information purposes only.

We would suggest that you use the Building Notice procedure only if the person carrying out the work is reliable and experienced.

The following table highlights the advantages and disadvantages of submitting either a "Full Plans Application" or a "Building Notice" and should allow you to make the right choice for the work you intend to carry out.

Delays in processing your application may occur if;

• the form is not completed properly or is unsigned or undated.
• the fee is not correct,or a detailed estimate is not provided where relevant.
• insufficient information is provided with your application.

So which should you choose?

It's entirely up to you! - and whichever choice you make we will try to offer you the best possible service. It may appear that the way we have summarised the advantages and disadvantages of each application type is intended to guide you away from the Building Notice route, but this is not our intention.

For smaller work, and with the benefit of an experienced builder, Building Notice applications are often the obvious choice and the majority of work involved is carried out without problems.

We simply wish you to know all the facts so that you can make a well-informed choice. In both cases the application must be made before works start, the total fee paid will be exactly the same and, when the works have been completed to our satisfaction, you will be sent a completion certificate confirming that the works comply with the Building Regulations.

For further advice contact us on 0113 2478106

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