The Building Act 1984 is the enabling Act under
which the Building Regulations have been made. The Secretary of
State, under the power given in the Building Act 1984, may for any
purposes of
- a) securing the health, safety, welfare and convenience of
persons in or about buildings and of others who may be affected by
buildings or matters connected with buildings
- b) furthering the conservation of fuel and power
- c) preventing waste, undue consumption, misuse or contamination
of water
make regulations with respect to the design and construction of
buildings and the provision of services, fittings and equipment in
or in connection with buildings. The current regulations governing
these are the Building Regulations 2010 (SI 2000/2531) (as
amended).
The powers to enforce the Building Regulations
are contained in the Act. The key sections to observe are
Section 35
Any person
contravening a provision contained in the building regulations is
liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the
standard scale laid down by the Criminal Justice Act 1982.
Section 36
In
addition to section 35, the local authority may serve a notice on
the owner to pull down or alter work carried out in contravention
of the regulations. Should the owner fail to comply within 28 days
with this notice, the Authority may carry out the work and charge
the cost to the owner.
There are various other provisions about buildings in Part III of
the Act. Sections 77 and 78 deal with dangerous buildings and
structures and sections 80 to 83 outline the requirements for
demolition.