Building Control and Building Regulations
What is Building Control?
The Building Control process is a legal requirement that exists to ensure that your new home or extension is safe, well-built and energy efficient. It is there to safeguard your home and those of your neighbours.
What are Building Regulations?
Building Regulations are national standards for England and Wales which apply to most types of buildings. They ensure that the built environment in which we all live is a safe place.
Please note that Building Regulations are NOT the same as Planning Permission. Planning rules determine whether you are allowed to go ahead with a building project. Building Regulations set standards for the design and construction of buildings to ensure the safety and health for people in or about those buildings.
The Approved Documents are published by central government. They are free to download online, or hard copies can be purchased from the TSO website.
Guidance for designers
Designing in accordance with the Approved Document guidance tends to demonstrate compliance with building regulation requirements. If the Approved Document guidance has not been followed, the designer will still need to demonstrate that the requirements have been met. To do so, the designer may wish to refer to:
- British Standards Institution (BSI) website
- British Board of Agreement (BBA) website
- Building Research Establishment (BRE) website
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