These questions and answers are designed mainly to help you with
the application forms when making a submission for Building
Regulations approval to this office. They are not intended to cover
other aspects of statutory control, eg planning. If you require any
further assistance please do not hesitate to contact the District
Surveyor’s Office, telephone 020 7332 1000.
Can I discuss my proposals before making an
application?
Yes! We believe early consultation is
very beneficial to our customers and the more complex the project
the more important it is. There are no additional charges for this
service and provided you are intending to use us as the Building
Control provider this can be as early as you wish. Our pre
application service is second to none and allows you to build on
our experience and knowledge when developing your
design.
Contact the relevant team.
Can I make an application online?
Yes. Full details are on this website on the
Applications page. Currently, it is possible to make an
online application for schemes up to £5 million.
Can I submit an
electronic version of my plans?
Yes. You can provide PDF, TIFF or AutoCAD format files of your
plans on a CD, DVD or pen drive. No hard copes are required.
However it would be helpful if two hard copies of structural
calculations are submitted in addition to the electronic
version.
Does the Regulatory
Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 apply to my premises?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to
virtually all premises and covers nearly every type of building,
structure and open space. For example, it applies to offices and
shops, care premises, community halls and places of worship, the
common parts of properties several households live in, pubs, clubs
and restaurants, schools and sports centres, hotels and hostels and
factories and warehouses. It does not apply to people’s private
homes, including individual flats in a block or house. If the Order
applies to your building, you must make a full plans
application.
What should the estimated cost of work
include?
The estimated cost of the works should be based on the cost of
all building work involved. The cost should not include VAT or any
professional fees paid in association with the work. A written
breakdown of the cost of the works could help us calculate our
charges and may be required to verify the amount submitted.
Can I discuss with
someone what the charge is likely to be?
We would be pleased to discuss with you the charges appropriate
to your particular project. If you are unsure about what should be
included in the cost of the work or need help with the Table of
Charges, please telephone us on 020 7332 1000.
When are the Building
Regulations charges paid?
(a) For a full plans application, the plan charge (based upon
the Schedule 3 Table of Charges) must accompany your application;
without it your application is invalid. Please make cheques payable
to the City of London. Where the cost of the work
exceeds £5000 an inspection charge becomes due after the first
inspection of the works. This will be invoiced accordingly (again
based upon the Table of Charges). Inspection charges for larger
jobs can be invoiced as staged payments. If you require further
information on this option please contact us on 020 7332 1000.
These charges are subject to VAT.
(b) For a building notice application, the building notice
charge (also based upon the Schedule 3 Table of Charges) must
accompany your application; without it your application is invalid.
Please make cheques payable to the City of London. This
charge is also subject to VAT.
What is Section
20?
Section 20 is a section of the London Building Acts (Amendment)
Act, 1939. It is concerned primarily with the danger arising from
fire within certain buildings which, by reason of height, cubical
extent and/or use, necessitate special consideration.
Section 20 applies where
(a) a building is to be erected with a storey or part of a storey
at a greater height than
(i) 30 metres; or (ii) 25 metres if the area of the building
exceeds 930 square metres;
(b) a building of the warehouse class, or a building or part of
a building used for the purposes of trade or manufacture, exceeds
7,100 cubic metres in extent unless it is divided by division walls
in such manner that no division of the building is of a cubical
extent exceeding 7,100 cubic metres.
What is the
Section 20 charge?
If applicable, this is a single charge which is
not subject to VAT. The charge covers the cost of
issuing the Common Council’s consent under Section 20 of the London
Building Acts (Amendment) Act, 1939 and carrying out the relevant
inspections of the work. Cheques should be made payable to the
City of London. If you are unsure about the amount
of charge payable or if Section 20 applies to your building
(existing or proposed), please telephone us on 020 7332 1000. When
your Building Regulations application to this office relates to
premises subject to the controls of Section 20, the charge for this
additional approval is considerably reduced as our inspections can
often be carried out at the same time as the Building Regulations
inspections.
What is meant by the term
Major Work?
Major Work means new buildings, extensions, extensive
alterations or refurbishments, where there is a substantial input
of work by us in processing, assessing and issuing conditions and
carrying out site inspections.
What is meant by the term
Minor Work?
Minor Work covers alterations in existing buildings e.g. office
partition alterations, where there is only a small or moderate
input of work by us in processing, assessing and issuing conditions
and carrying out site inspections.
What is a conditional
approval?
If your plans require minor amendments a conditional approval
can, with your consent, be issued which will list the modifications
required to comply with the regulations. Without this consent the
application may have to be rejected. With a major project, it may
not be possible to submit all the details (eg structural
calculations) with the application. A conditional approval can be
issued requiring these details to be submitted before the relevant
work is started.
How long will the passing
of plans take?
Section 16 of the Building Act 1984 requires us to deal with
your application within five weeks, unless you agree to extend the
time limit up to a maximum of two months, from the date of your
plans were deposited. For the more complicated applications this
extension of time will help to avoid your application being
rejected by allowing further time for discussion and/or possible
amendment of your drawings. Currently all full plans applications
are determined within these time limits with the vast majority
in less than four weeks.
Who should sign the
application form?
The applicant, who is normally the architect, surveyor, managing
agent or builder, should sign the form.
Whose names and addresses
should be given?
Details of the applicant, the owner or occupier and the person
to whom the inspection charge invoice is to be sent (if not the
owner or occupier) should be given. The Corporation of London
Building Regulations Charges Scheme No. 1 1999 (Amended) makes the
person "who carries out the building work or on whose behalf
the building work is carried out" liable to pay the
charges.
How many copies of the
plans are required?
We now deal with your plans electronically therefore you need
only submit one copy of your plans for both a Full Plans
Application and a Building Notice. Alternatively, you can provide
PDF, TIFF or AutoCAD format files of your plans on a CD, DVD or pen
drive. No hard copes are required. However it would be helpful if
two hard copies of structural calculations are submitted in
addition to the electronic version.
However, additional copies and information may be called for
once we receive your application.
What should be shown on
the plans?
(a) For a full plans application, as much detail as possible
should be included on the plans. This will help to reduce the time
spent in contacting you for further information. For office
partition alterations, please indicate the existing layout and all
new work and the use to which rooms will be put. If you have any
doubts, please telephone us on 020 7332 1000 and ask for the
Surveyor dealing with your building.
(b) For a building notice application, the plans should clearly
indicate the scope of the works covered by the building notice and
the way in which the requirements of the Building Regulations will
be satisfied.
What should I do when the
work is due to start?
For your convenience you can use a
Commencement Notice or tel 020 7332 1000 to request a copy. A
copy will be sent with your approval.
Regulation 15(1) of the Building Regulations 2000 requires you
to give us notice two days before work starts.
What should I do
when the work is complete?
For your convenience you can use a
Completion Notice or tel 020 7332 1000. A copy will be sent
with your approval.
Regulation 15(4) and (5) of the Building Regulations 2000
requires you to give us notice not more than five days after the
work is finished or not less than five days before the building (or
any part of it) is to be occupied before completion of the
work.
How do I obtain a
Completion Certificate?
You will be sent a Completion Certificate when the work subject
to the applicable requirements of Schedule 1 to the Building
Regulations 2000 has been satisfactorily completed.
What happens if I do work
without first obtaining approval?
If unauthorised building work has been carried out you may apply
retrospectively for a Regularisation Certificate by
downloading
the Regularisation Application Form or from
the District Surveyor’s Office, tel 020 7332 1000.
Your application must be accompanied by the Regularisation
charge and the Section 20 charge, if applicable. Full details are
given in the form.
What are the Approved
Documents?
The Approved Documents are a series of documents that have been
approved by the First Secretary of State for the purpose of
providing practical guidance with respect to the requirements of
Schedule 1 and regulation 7 of the Building Regulations 2000, as
amended. There is no obligation to adopt the particular solutions
in the Approved Documents provided that any alternative solution
proposed complies with the relevant requirements. They are
published by the Department for Communities and Local
Government (DCLG) and can be downloaded from the
Planning Portal - Approved Documents. They
can also be viewed on the
Building Regulations page.