Building regulations

What is the purpose of the Regulations?

To secure reasonable standards of:

• health and safety for persons in or about buildings (and any others who may be affected by buildings, or matters connected with buildings)
• energy conservation
• access and facilities for people with disabilities

What building work is controlled by the Regulations?

• The erection or extension of a building
• The provision of a controlled service or fitting e.g. sanitary pipework, drainage, heat producing appliances
• The material alteration of a building, or a controlled service or fitting
• Work required to be undertaken as a result of a material change of use (see below)
• The insertion of insulation material into the cavity wall of a building
• Work involving the underpinning of a building
• All new electrical wiring or electrical components for a house, flat or small commercial premise linked to domestic accommodation must be designed and installed in accordance with Part P of the Building Regulations

A material change of use is:

Where there is a change in the purposes for which or in the circumstances in which a building is used, so that after the change the building or part of the building-

• is used as a dwelling, where previously it was not;
• contains a flat, where previously it did not, or a building containing flats is altered so that there are more or less flats than existed previously;
• is used as a hotel or boarding house, where previously it was not;
• is used as an institution, where previously it was not;
• is used as a public building where previously it was not;
• is not an 'exempt building' where previously it was.
• When a material change of use takes place, the building, or affected part, needs to be upgraded to satisfy certain important parts of the Regulations. Fire safety, ventilation provision and energy conservation applies to all the cases above. Structure, weather resistance, fire spread and sound insulation apply in specific cases.

What are the technical requirements?

The technical requirements of the Regulations and guidance on how to meet those requirements are contained in Approved Documents.

It is important to remember that the contents of the Approved Documents are only guidance.

Find out more about Building Regulations at The Planning Portal. 

There is also an interactive house which provides guidance on building Regullations in relation to common houshold projects.