Building Regulation Update November 2023

Building Regulation, BuildtoPlans

Building Regulation Update November 2023 from Paul Hughes Building Control Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils

On 1 October 2023, the Building Regulations will be subject to one of its biggest revisions for many years.
There is a fundamental shift in emphasis on the role of the client, their agent and Building Control with the introduction of very clear requirements regarding duty holders and competence.
For all building projects subject to a building notice or an application for building control approval with full plans (full plans application), no matter how small, the client will now be required to make suitable arrangements for planning, managing and monitoring a project throughout its run so as to ensure compliance with The Building Regulations

Other changes to the regulations include:
• Additional information required when submitting a full plans application with regards dutyholders, commencement of work and the proposed works.
• Statutory time limits on issuing decisions on plans.
• Changes to the definition of commencement with regards to Section 32 of the Act (lapse of deposit of plans/notice).
• Notices required at commencement and completion.
• Increased enforcement powers in relation to compliance and stop notices.
The above is only a very limited summary of some of the new provisions and is by no means exhaustive. We have produced some quick guides to help get an understanding of the changes, they are linked further into this message.

We strongly advise, in order to gain a greater understanding, you review the full guidance linked and discuss how best you approach them with your own legal advisors, professional organisations and peer groups:

Building Safety ebulletin: Building Control – secondary legislation & new guidance update (govdelivery.com)

The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)

We are also expecting further guidance to be issued by DLUHC to provide greater clarity on the changes. Upon publication, we will update our guidance accordingly.

We will have a dedicated page on our website soon as a hub with all the latest information.

Due to the limited amount of time we have had to prepare, particularly in relation to our back office system software provider, we may need to ask for additional information in accordance with the new requirements when submitting applications before we can validate and there may be slight delays in acknowledging applications.

All of our forms and processes will be fully updated as soon as possible but we ask that you bear with us in the meantime.

Paul Hughes
Corporate Manager – Building Control
Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils

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