If you want to carry out construction work or change the way a building is used, you may require Planning Permission or Building Regulation consent, or both. If you get one you are not guaranteed the other and you may need to apply for both separately.
To check which you need, visit: Planning portal.
For more about this, see: Contact Planning services.
Building work that should comply with Building Regulations
As defined in Regulation 3 of the Building Regulations, these types of project are 'building work':
- Erection or extension of a building.
- Installation or extension of a service or fitting which is controlled under the regulations.
- Alteration project involving work that temporarily or permanently affects the ongoing compliance of the building, service or fitting with the requirements relating to structure, fire, or access to and use of buildings.
- Insertion of insulation into a cavity wall.
- Underpinning of a building's foundations.
If you are planning to carry out such work, then it should comply with the Building Regulations.
The works themselves should meet the relevant technical requirements in the Building Regulations and they should not make other fabric, services and fittings less compliant than they previously were - or dangerous. For example, if you replace external windows or doors, the building should comply to at least the same degree as it did before or, where it exceeded the standards, not be reduced below the standards in relation to:
- means of escape from fire;
- air supply for combustion appliances and their flues.
Also, in this example, the replacement window/door should also fully satisfy the requirements for energy conservation and ventilation for health
The Building Regulations may also apply to certain changes of use of an existing building. This is because the change of use may result in the building as a whole no longer complying with the requirements which will apply to its new type of use and so having to be upgraded to meet additional requirements specified in the regulations for which building work may also be required.
To find out more, please contact Building Control Services to discuss your individual case.
Calderdale Building Control Services:
- Address: Town Hall, Halifax. HX1 1UJ.
- Email: building.control@calderdale.gov.uk.
- Phone: (01422) 392291 from Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 12.30pm.