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 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.
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 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.
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?
(a) For a full plans application, you need to submit four sets
of plans relating to means of escape and fire safety. Two sets are
needed for the statutory consultation with the fire service, the
London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. Only two sets of all
other plans need be submitted with your application. One full set
of the plans will be returned to you with the decision.
(b) For a building notice application, you need to submit single
copies only of the plans relating to the proposed works.
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 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?
Regulation 15(1) of the Building Regulations 2000 requires you to
give us notice two days before work starts. For your convenience
you can use a Commencement Notice (form BC39), which is available
from the District Surveyor’s Office, tel 020 7332 1000, or a copy
of the Commencement Notice can be downloaded from
the
Applications page. A copy is also automatically sent to you
with your approval.
What should I do
when the work is complete?
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. For
your convenience you can use a Completion Notice (form BC40), which
is available from the District Surveyor’s Office, tel 020 7332
1000, or a copy of the Completion Notice can be downloaded
from
the
Applications page.
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 using application
form BC8, which is available from the District Surveyor’s Office,
tel 020 7332 1000, or a copy of the Regularisation form
can be downloaded from
the
Applications page. 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.
Is guidance on
making applications produced?
Yes. Three Guidance Notes have been designed to assist applicants
making applications. The notes cover full plans submissions for
alterations to existing buildings and the pre-application and the
submission stages for the erection of a new building. The notes are
available from the District Surveyor’s Office, tel 020 7332 1000,
or a copy of the Guidance Notes can be downloaded from
the page about
Our Service.