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.
If building work has already been completed you may be able to submit a Regularisation Application.
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
- A completed Full Plans application form.
- 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.
- 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.
- The appropriate fee (see section on Building Regulation Charges)
- 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 Charge) and a further charge is payable after the first inspection (Inspection Charge). The invoice for the Inspection Charge will be sent directly to the applicant.
In some cases however both the Plan Charge and the Inspection Charge are payable on submission of the application.
What happens after the submission has been made?
A Full Plans Submission, will be checked for validity, i.e. is the charge correct and have the necessary plans been deposited.
If there is a problem, the agent (or applicant if there isn’t an agent) will be sent a letter identifying the problems.
When the submission is valid an acknowledgement letter will be sent out to the applicant and to the agent. The letter will provide contact details of the Surveyor who will be dealing with the application, and confirm that a second fee will be payable when work commences on site.
The application will move from our Administration section to our technical section where the plans will be checked by a Building Control Surveyor for compliance with the Building Regulations.
Following the plan examination a number of actions may be taken:
The application may be Approved.
The application may be approved with endorsements i.e. we will endorse the plans with additional information which has been omitted.
The application may be approved conditionally i.e. additional information will need to be submitted and approved before work commences on site, e.g. structural calculations.
The application may be approved subject to conditions and endorsements.
We may contact the person who has submitted the application and request further information and revised plans.
Subject to one of the above, the application will be approved, an Approval Notice issued and a copy of the plan officially stamped.
The Approval Notice and a copy of the approved plan will be returned to the person who has submitted the application.
If the plans are substantially unsatisfactory, a Rejection Notice will be issued. In this situation the application be can be resubmitted at no additional cost, but information previously omitted should be provided.
A Building Notice is suitable for minor works including replacement windows,electrical installations, minor internal alterations.
A Building Notice submission should contain 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 any public sewers.
b) The appropriate fee. Both the plan charge and the inspection charge 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.
A Building Notice submission will also be checked for validity, i.e. is the charge correct and has any other relevant information been deposited?
If there is a problem, the applicant (or agent) will be sent a letter identifying the problems.
When the submission is valid an acknowledgement letter will be sent out to the applicant and the agent.
No plans are required for a Building Notice submission, but plans should be provided if possible as they will assist the Building Control Surveyor when the work is being inspected on site.
An Approval Notice is not issued for a Building Notice submission and nothing is returned.
See below for the advantages and disadvantages of submitting either a Full Plans Application or a Building Notice
Full Plans
Advantages
- Provides proof of Building Regulation approval for work carried out if you sell the property in the future
- Detailed drawings available for builder to quote from and work to
- Provides an impression of what the completed work will look like.
Disadvantages
- Constructional drawings required which may mean extra cost of employing an agent / architect to submit the application on your behalf.
Building Notice
Advantages
- No plans required, (but further information may be requested)
- Ideal for minor works.
Disadvantages
- Pay all Building Regulation Charges before work starts
- No Approval Notice given or approved plans issued
- Bank/Building Society may not accept if providing finance for project
- No plans for builder to quote from or work to
- Makes supervision on site much more difficult
- Builder needs to be very competent and have sound knowledge of the Building Regulations
- not suitable for domestic extensions, loft conversions, new dwellings
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
How long is the application valid for?
All applications are valid for three years from the date of deposit. Should the work not have started within that time, a new application will be required.
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) 222 44 09