Building control applications

The most common type of application we receive for building works is a full plans application. In this case, you as the building owner or your agent/architect submit an application with plans showing full details of the work together with any relevant structural calculations. Using this route once we have checked your plans and are satisfied they meet the building regulations you will receive a formal decision known as an “approval notice”. This approval notice may be important when seeking loans or moving home.

You also have the added assurance that provided the works are carried out in accordance with the approval that a completion certificate will be issued to you once all the work is finished.

Submitting a full plans application

Visit the Submit a Plan website to complete the building control full plans online application form

Download the building control full plans application form

We will also need to receive:

• detailed plans, sections and elevations, including all technical notes, calculations and specifications
• a 1:1250 scale plan showing size and position of the building, or the building as extended in relation to adjoining boundaries and adjacent street (a ‘block plan’)
• the plan fee (if appropriate you should also submit a written estimate based on a commercial builder’s costs (excluding VAT).

A building notice is generally used for minor works such as removal of an internal load-bearing wall, where the person carrying out the work is familiar with current building regulations. One advantage is that it allows work to start 48 hours after submission of the application as there is no plan checking involved before work begins and therefore no approval notice is issued.

It can’t be used when the works will involve building over or within three metres of a public sewer.

If you are submitting a building notice you must feel confident that the work will comply with the current building regulations as when we inspect the work if it doesn’t you risk having to rectify this at your own expense.

Starting work

All building work must be inspected by one of our building control surveyors at key stages. This is not only to ensure that the work meets the current building regulations, but it also provides an opportunity for us to offer timely advice or for contractors to raise any queries they may have. Once we receive your completed application you will often be assigned a dedicated surveyor for your project who will provide continuity of service for both you and your builder.

Completion of work

It is very important that you contact your building control surveyor to arrange for a final inspection when all the work is complete. Once we are satisfied that the work is complete a completion certificate can be issued to you for safekeeping. This is an important document should you decide to sell or re-mortgage your property in the future. We would also recommend that you obtain your completion certificate before making final payment to your builder.

Submitting a building notice application

Visit the Submit a Plan website to complete the building notice online application form

Download the building notice application form

We will also need to receive:

• the building notice fee
• if the application is for a new building or an extension we will need a 1:1250 scale plan showing size and position of the building, or the building as extended in relation to adjoining.

If you have carried out works without building regulation approval, it is possible that retrospective approval can be given. This process is known as the regularisation certificate.

When applying for approval, you should produce building plans and any other documents, such as photographs, to show:

• how the work you have carried out complies with building regulations
• what work you will carry out to enable the building to be brought up to the standards required by building regulations.

When we are satisfied that these documents show compliance, we may then ask you to cut into or open up some of the work to verify this. The nature of the work we ask to be opened up will vary.

Only when building control are satisfied that the work complies with the building regulations will a regularisation certificate be issued.

Visit the Submit a Plan website to complete the regularisation certificate online application form

Download the regularisation certificate application form

Contact the Building Control team to receive a quote on the application and inspection fee