Building & Planning Regulations

What Are Building Regulations?

From the 1^st April 2002, building owners will require Building Regulations consent for the installation of replacement windows.   Inspection(s) will be undertaken to ensure that the new windows comply with Building Regulations.

Repair work, such as replacement glazing or replacing rotten framing members is not subject to Building Regulation approval.

Building Regulations are a set of minimum building standards, established by the Government, which provide acceptable levels of health and safety for people who occupy or visit buildings.  More relevant to REPLACEMENT WINDOWS, they are also concerned with energy conservation and with making buildings more convenient and accessible for people with disabilities.

The Building Regulations consist of a set of specific requirements.   These are supported by a set of detailed documents, which show guidance on how to implement the specific requirements.

These are called the Approved Documents and range from Part  A to P.  

The Building Regulations that REPLACEMENT WINDOW SYSTEMS have to comply to are:

Approved Document B – Fire Safety

Ensuring your safety in a fire situation is the principal aim of Part B.   This includes the provision of satisfactory fire escape routes, preventing fire spreading both within and to other buildings and providing good access and fire fighting facilities for the Fire Services.

In respect of “Means of escape in fire”

1. All windows to habitable rooms at floors above ground are required to be suitable for escape in fire.
2. In addition, rooms at ground floor level whose ONLY escape route is via another room are also required to be provided with suitable escape windows.

NOTE: A suitable escape window is defined as “a window whose unobstructed openable area is at least 0.33m² and at least 450mm high and 450mm wide; (a 450mm wide window will need to be at least 735mm high).  The bottom of the openable area should be no more than 1100mm above the floor”.

Kitchens, utility rooms, dressing rooms, bathrooms WC’s and showers rooms are not subject to escape window provision.

Approved Document F – Ventilation

This section provides for adequate levels of ventilation to buildings and prevention of condensation forming in roof voids.

The ventilation requirements for a window that opens 30º or more the minimum openable area should be at least 1/20th of the floor area of the room served by the window, or for a window that opens less than 30º the minimum openable area should be at least 1/10 th of the floor area of the rooms served.

Trickle Ventilators – replacement windows need only have trickle ventilators fitted (or an equivalent form of ventilation) where the original window had them.   Where trickle ventilators are required, they should have a minimum unobstructed area of 5000m² to habitable rooms, for example bedroom and lounge, or 2500mm² for non-habitable rooms, for example kitchen, bathroom and utility.

NOTE:  Where the ventilator also provides air to a combustion appliance it is advisable to maintain the same level of ventilation as that in the existing window or alternatively, verify the reduced area with Building Control.

Approved Document L (Conservation of Fuel & Power)

Part L provides comprehensive advice regarding the provision of adequate thermal insulation to all part of the building envelope.   To complement those provisions this section also provides design criteria for space heating and hot water storage.

All uPVC and wood replacement windows should achieve a U value of 1.8W/m²K.

One way of achieving the requirement is by providing uPVC or timber double glazed window systems incorporating a 16mm air gap between panes and a low emissivity coating such as Pilkington K.

This is not the only option, but should you wish to utilise another system substantiation may be required to prove a U value of 1.8W/m²K is attained.

Approved Document N (Glazing Safety in Relation to Impact, Opening & Cleaning)

This area is concerned with providing safety glass in critical locations (glazing you are likely to walk into or fall against).

Glazing in “critical” locations should either:

Break safely as defined in BS 6206:1981 – specification for impact performance requirements for flat safety glass and safety plastics for use in buildings, clause 5.3.

• Be inherently robust ie annealed glass, glass blocks, polycarbonates or glass that gains strength through thickness.
• Be in small panes – panes have a maximum area of 0.5m² with a maximum width of 250mm are acceptable.  Annealed glass should be no less than 6mm thick, except in traditional leaded or copper-lights in which 4mm glass is considered acceptable when fire resistance is not a factor.
• Be permanently protected – be protected by a screen which has a minimum height of 800mm and which incorporates no gap greater than 75mm.

Conservatories will not be included when the standard commences provided they are separated from the rest of the building (for example by doors) or they are unheated.

Basically, Part L has been introduced in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the Government’s strategy to address global warming.

Part L of the Building Regulations imposes the requirement on building work that:

“Reasonable provision shall be made for the conservation of fuel and power.”

NOTE

You should bear in mind that complying with Building Regulations is a separate matter from obtaining planning permission for your work.   Your Local Authority Building Control Department will be pleased to give you advice and information.

Your local authority Building Control Department will be pleased to give you information and advice. They will have copies of the Building Act 1984, the Building Regulations 2000 and amendments, and the accompanying Approved Documents which give additional guidance, and may be able to let you see these for reference purposes at their offices. Alternatively, your local reference library may hold copies or be able to give you access via the ODPM website.

Source:

Fenland District Council

South Holland District Council

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/explanatorybooklet

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/professionals/en/4000000000563.html

 January 2008

What's The Difference Between Building Regulations & Planning Permission Approval?

Planning Permission deals with the appearance of the proposal and the effect it will have on neighbouring properties and the general environment.

Building Regulations deal with the constructional details of building works to ensure the health and safety of people in and around the building. 

Building Regulations Applications are valid for 3 years from the date of deposit and planning applications are valid for 5 years from the date of approval.   Work must start (but need not be finished) in these times or a new application fee will be required.

When is a Building Regulations Application Not Required?

• For a CARPORT if open on two or more sides with a floor area of 30 square metres or less
• For a CONSERVATORY with a floor area of 30 square metres or less and wholly or partly glazed with glazing which complies with the safety standards of BS 6206 (1981), and with the CONSERVATORY area separated from the main dwelling by the existing external door.
• Generally when building a detached garage that is more than 1 metre from the boundary and has a floor area of 30 square metres or less.
•  If replacing roof tiles which are the same weight as the original ones.

When is a Building Regulations Application Required?

• When erecting or extending a building
• When installling a new WC or bathroom that involves new waste pipes or underground drainage.
• When installing a gas (unless the work is supervised by an approved installer) solid fuel or oil heating appliance.
• When building a house extension, (however most CONSERVATORIES, CAR PORTS AND PORCHES are exempt)
• When converting a house to flats or bedsits.
• When building an attached garage.
• When making general alterations that mean altering a load bearing internal wall, or work which affects the existing means of escape routes
• When converting a loft or other roof-space.
• When REPLACING OR ADDING NEW WINDOWS TO A HOUSE.
• When fitting replacement roof tiles that are a different weight to those being replaced.
• When underpinning foundations

Relaxation in Conservatory Planning Laws

From the beginning of October 2008, there has been a relaxation in planning laws which means that smaller installations such as CONSERVATORIES will qualify as “permitted schemes”. This means that homeowners will not have to apply for planning permission for their new conservatory provided the conservatory falls within certain guidelines. The most important of these is that the conservatory does not extend more than 3m from the back of a terraced or semi-detached property and more than 4m from the rear of a detached home.

The addition of a conservatory to your home is now an even more attractive proposition given that the average price of a VANTAGE CONSERVATORY is around only £8,000.

Check out the BENEFITS OF A VANTAGE CONSERVATORY that you will enjoy for 12 months of the year.

When Can I Start Work Following Submission of Building Regulations Approval?

Once you have given a Building Notice or submitted Full Plans, you can start after you have given us 2 days' notice that you intend to commence your work.

If you have submitted a Full Plans application and start work before your application is approved you run the risk of works on site not complying with the regulations.

Is There a Charge for Making a Building Regulations Application?

Yes, there is a fee payable to the Local Authority. The amount will depend on the type of work and is laid down in an annual scale of charges through "The Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 1998.

Work to be carried out to improve access for a disabled person, however, is normally exempt from charges.

A Full Plans application usually involves a 2-stage payment. The first stage is a Plan Fee, which must be paid at the time you submit your plans, and the second stage is an inspection fee, which is payable after the first inspection of work on site has been carried out.

The fee for a Building Notice submission is a single charge equal to the sum of both the plan and inspection fees and payable at the time of the Notice is submitted.

Please contact your Building Control department fur further information in respect of fees.

Do I Always Need Building Regulations Approval?

Before proceeding, it is best to check whether you need to make a Building Regulations' application. The Regulations do exempt certain types of building from requiring Building Regulations Approval.

A full list of the work not controlled is contained within Schedule 2 of the Regulations, but the most common ones which affect homeowners and domestic buildings are shown below:

• Detached garage under 30 square metres floor area (if built from combustible materials, ie wood, it must be built 1 metre away from the boundary, if built from non-combustible materials such as brick it can be built up to the boundary. PORCHES, CONSERVATORIES and covered ways under 30 metres square floor area (in the case of CONSERVATORIES AND PORCHES the glass must comply with Part N of the Regulations).
• Detached buildings used for keeping animals or small domestic greenhouses/sheds.

If you're not sure then it is advisable to contact your Local Authority.

What Does Building Consultancy Do When Things Go Wrong?

Building Control's job is to make sure buildings are safe for the public by checking that the building work has all been carried out in accordance with the Building Regulations.

If surveyors believe that an infringement has occurred, they will identify the problem to the builder and give them the opportunity to put it right If the builder is still unable or unwilling to do this, the Local Authority Enforcement Officer will take over and work with the buiilder to ensure that the contravention is corrected. This is why it is important to involve the Building Surveyor from the earliest stages in order to avoid costly errors.

In some extreme cases where the work is very poor and the builder fails to rectify the problems to his satisfaction, the Enforcement Officer will take the matter to court and prosecute the builder.