BUILDING CONTROL SERVICES
INFORMATION SHEETS
Making an Application
Where a Building Regulation application is
required for proposed building work, it can be made using one of
the following forms:
FULL PLANS
This form can be used for any type of work.
Provide detailed plans of your proposal, with
full constructional details, which are submitted with the Full
Plans application form (two copies of all the plans are normally
sufficient, (with a further two copies for some
non-domestic applications).
A block plan (scale 1:1250) is also
required. A copy from the Ordnance Survey map for
your area may be obtained from the Customer Services Reception for
a set fee.
A charge for Plan Checking must also be submitted with
your application.
A list setting out the required charge, which depends upon the type
of work, is available from the Council here. (91Kb
pdf)
An extension of time from five weeks to two
months may be requested (to allow for further amendments etc.,
whilst plans are being checked).
You may request a Conditional Approval (where
further information is likely to be required, e.g., details of
manufactured roof trusses).
You may request on the application form that the Local
Authority issue a "Final Certificate" when works are
satisfactorily completed. It is advisable to keep this with
the Approval Notice to pass on to further purchasers of the
property.
Your application may be Approved, Rejected or
Conditionally Approved.
After the first inspection, you will be sent an invoice
for the Inspection Charge, which covers
all the inspections undertaken by the Building
Control Officer.
You are advised to employ a professional such as an architect,
surveyor or draughtsman to act as your agent in preparing plans and
submitting an application.
Upon receipt of your application, an acknowledgement letter
will be issued to you and your deposited plans will be checked for
compliance with the Building Regulations. Any requests for
further requirements or amendments will be forwarded to you (or
your agent if you employ one) and an Approval Notice issued as soon
as the plans are considered satisfactory. It is
important that you supply your builder with a copy of the approved
plans.
However, a Rejection Notice will have to be issued if all the
details required have not been submitted within the set time limit
(this is normally five weeks, unless you have agreed to extend this
to two months on the application form). Should you need to
resubmit an application following its rejection, no further Plan
Checking charge is required.
You may commence work after giving the Local Authority two
working days notice in writing. Work will be at your own risk
if you commence before receiving your Approval Notice, so you are
strongly advised to wait for the Approval to be issued.
BUILDING NOTICE
Recommended for minor works in residential properties
only, this form cannot be used where works have already
commenced, where the proposal is over or adjacent to a public
sewer, or where the building is for a "designated use" as defined
by the Fire Precautions Act 1971 (e.g. shops and offices).
Only a brief description of work needs to be
submitted with this type of application (including sketch
plans if available) . As there is no requirement to provide
detailed plans to work to, the builder must liaise closely with the
Building Control Surveyor.
A block plan (scale 1:1250) is only required for
extensions or new houses.
The full charge is required at the application
stage.
You will be able to receive a "Final
Certificate" from the Local Authority on completion
of works.
There is no Approval or Rejection of a Building
Notice but a letter of acknowledgement will be issued when
the Building Notice is received.
Once on site, the Building Control Surveyor will need to agree
the various items of work with your builder as the work
proceeds. The Building Control Surveyor may also request
further information to ensure compliance with the Regulations (for
example, requiring structural calculations to be submitted to prove
the adequacy of any steel beams).
You may commence work after giving the Local Authority two
working days notice in writing.
You are strongly advised not to use this type of
application unless your builder is competent and
experienced.
A NOTE ON INSPECTIONS
You, or your agent, will receive an inspection card with the
Full Plans Approval Notice or the Building Notice acknowledgement
letter. As stated on the card, you must notify the Council's
Building Control Section for the inspections listed in the table
below (additional inspections may also be required as work
progresses). The number of days listed indicate the
statutory notice required by the Building
Regulations. The local authority must be notified
prior to the works and the first Commencement Notice must be in
writing.
| Commencement on site |
Two days |
| Before covering any excavations for foundations |
One day |
| After concreting foundations |
One day |
| Before covering any damp-proof course or membrane |
One day |
| Before covering any oversite |
One day |
| After concreting any oversite slab |
One day |
| Before covering any drain or private sewer |
One day |
| After covering/haunching drains (usually with a drains
test) |
Five days |
| Inspection prior to occupation |
Five days |
| Completion of works |
Five days |
Note: A day = 24 hours (excluding weekends
and bank holidays)
Make sure your builder has contacted the Building
Control Surveyor. In the end it is you, the owner, who is
responsible for works being checked for compliance with the
Regulations.
Note: Consult Havant Borough Council's
Development
Control about applications for Planning Permission.
This advice is given in outline only; it is not intended to be
comprehensive or to be a substitute for taking proper legal or
other advice. We hope it will help you consider some of the
issues that may otherwise not have occurred to you.