How to get Building Control Approval
The Building Regulations require you to notify the Council's
Building Control Section that you intend to carry out building
work. There are two alternative ways in which you can give this
notice:
1. Building Notice
This procedure does not involve the passing or rejecting of
plans. It enables building work to start quickly. Normally within
48 hours of the Building Notice being deposited with us.
A Building Notice cannot be used if the proposed
work:
- relates to a building to which the Fire
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies, because we
need plans to consult the Fire Safety Officer about the fire
precautions.
- is over or close to (within 3 metres) rain water or foul
drains or sewers shown on the Water Utilities Companies map of
sewers.
In the case of the erection or extension of a building you will
need to submit a plan to a scale of not less than 1:1250 indicating
the size and position of the building, or building as extended in
relation to the boundaries and show the size and position of every
other building within the same curtilage. This plan should also
show details of the existing and any proposed drainage.
Once we have received your notice it will go through a
validation process to ensure the relevant documents and charges
have been deposited. The application will then be registered. A
Building Control Officer will check your application to ensure
the correct information has been deposited in support of the
Building Notice. We aim to do this within three working days of
receiving your notice.
If additional information is required, the Building Control
Surveyor will write to you advising of the additional information
required.
As approval of detailed plans is not possible with the Building
Notice procedure the owner needs to be aware that there is more
emphasis on him to ensure that work proceeds in a satisfactory
manner. When notification of stages of work are given an inspection
will be made by a Building Control Officer to ensure that work is
in accordance with Building Regulations and who will also be able
to give advice on subsequent stages. Without the benefit of
detailed plans it is very desirable to keep the Building Control
officer aware of the intended work.
A completion certificate will be issued upon satisfactory
completion of the building work.
Should you require any further advice on this matter please
contact the Building Control office.
2. A Full Plans Application
In most cases it will be in the best interest of the person
intending to carry out work to make a Full Plans Application by
depositing detailed plans. If you await approval of these plans
before starting work you will obtain the protection afforded by a
Full Plans Approval. If you find it is necessary to deviate from
the plan, it is sensible to obtain approval for any changes before
that part of the work is carried out.
When you have decided which notice to give, if you wish to
deposit plans, you will need to decide whether you can prepare the
plans and make the necessary calculations to demonstrate that your
proposed work will achieve compliance with the legal standards
required by the Building Regulations, or if you need to appoint an
agent to act on your behalf. You are advised to make the choice of
agent carefully. Someone who is experienced in submitting Building
Control plans and who has knowledge of the local conditions (such
as an architect or surveyor) would be most appropriate.
What information is required to be given in a FULL PLANS
APPLICATION?
With all full plans applications you will need to submit
duplicate copies, plans, calculations and other relevant details as
necessary to show that all work to be carried out complies with the
regulations. The plans should be prepared in metric and to a scale
of 1:50 or 1:100. Examples of the information that may be required
to be shown on the plans and in the calculations are given
here:
- A plan to a scale of not less than 1:1250 showing the size and
position of the building or buildings as extended, and its
relationship to adjoining boundaries.
- The boundaries of the curtilage of the building, or the
building as extended, and the size, position and use of any other
building or proposed building within the curtilage.
- The width and position of any street near the curtilage of the
building or the building as extended.
- A plan showing every floor and roof of the building or building
as extended and a section of every storey of the building or
buildings as extended.
- The levels of the site of the building, of the- lowest floor
and of any street adjoining the premises, in relation to one
another and above some know datum.
- The position of damp-proof courses and any other barriers to
moisture. The position, form and dimensions of the foundations,
walls, windows, floors, roofs, chimneys and other parts of
the building.
- The intended use of every room in the building.
- The provision made in the structure for protection against fire
and the means of escape in case of fire and for securing that such
means can be safely used at all times. An additional two copies of
the plans may be required for consultation purposes in respect of
"means of escape".
- The provision made in the structure for insulation against the
transmission of heat and sound.- Structural calculations to prove
the stability or adequacy of the design.
- The position of works or fittings, lines of drainage, the size,
depth and gradient of every drain and the means of access to be
provided for inspection and cleansing of the drains, the position
and level of the outfall of the drains and where the drains are to
be connected to the sewer or septic tank, the position of the sewer
or septic tank.-
- The measures to be adopted to safeguard any existing sewers
that are within three metres of the building works.
- The means of access for disabled people and provision of
adequate sanitary accommodation.
Application Forms
Is there any difference in cost between a Full Plans
application and a Building Notice?
Yes. As from the 1st October 2010 for more complicated projects
the Building Notice charge exceeds the total charge for a Full
Plans application. The difference reflects the the additional
resources needed to service a Building Notice on such projects.
Please refer to the Building Control
Fees for more information.
What will the local authority do?
If you use the Full Plans procedure the Council's Building
Control Section will check your plans and consult appropriate
authorities (such as fire and water authorities). If your plans
comply, you will receive a notice that they have been passed. If
the Council are not satisfied, you may be asked to make amendments
or provide more details. Alternatively, a conditional approval may
be issued if you request one or consent to one being issued. If
your plans are rejected, the reasons will be stated in the
notice.
If you use the Building Notice procedure, as with Full Plans
applications, the work will normally be inspected as it proceeds;
you will receive a notice indicating whether your proposal has been
accepted. If, before commencement or while work is in progress, the
local authority require further information such as structural
design calculations or plans, you must supply the details
requested.
What happens if unauthorised work has taken place in the
past?
A regularisation procedure exists for work carried out since 11
November 1985 to formalise this type of situation although it may
mean that additional work is required to be done if there are
contraventions in the work.
Contact
Tel: 01304 872495
Email: buildingcontrol@dover.gov.uk
