BUILDING REGULATIONS
Welcome to Sussex Building Control as the trading name for Local Authorities’ Building Control Services operated by Horsham District Council on behalf of Horsham District Council and Crawley Borough Council.
The partnership will operate from the current Horsham office under the management of the Head of Building Control, Martin Gentles.
There will now be three area teams; the South Team will cover the south of Horsham’s district, the Central Team will cover Horsham town and the north of the district and the North Team will cover the Crawley area. Please view the Contact Details page for more details about how to contact the service.
The partnership offers the opportunity to develop the Building Control service in the future and provide additional services such as a dedicated Access Officer to deal with disability issues.
In addition, as a Local Authority based service, we will continue to have strong links and working relationships with other services such as the Fire and Rescue Service, Development Control and Environmental Health. We can therefore provide a joined up response to your enquiry or proposal and ensure your development is given the expertise and professional approach you require whether it is large or small.
What the Building Regulations do
The Building Regulations are made under powers provided in the Building Act 1984 and apply in England and Wales. The majority of building projects are required to comply with them. They exist to ensure the health and safety of people in and around all types of buildings (domestic, commercial and industrial). They also provide for energy conservation and for access and facilities for disabled people.
The Building Regulations contain various sections dealing with definitions, procedures and what is expected in terms of the technical performance of building work. For example, they:
- define what types of building, plumbing and heating projects amount to 'Building Work' and make these subject to control under the Building Regulations.
- specify what types of buildings are exempt from control under the Building Regulations
- set out the notification procedures to follow when starting, carrying out and completing building work
- set out the 'requirements' with which the individual aspects of building design and construction must comply in the interests of health and safety of building users, of energy conservation and access and facilities for disabled people
Anyone wanting to carry out building work which is subject to the Building Regulations is required by law to make sure it complies with the regulations and (with some exceptions) to use one of the two types of Building Control Service available, i.e:
- the Building Control Service provided by your local authority or
- the Building Control Service provided by approved inspectors
What you need to do
You will be charged for either service. The primary responsibility for achieving compliance with the Building Regulations rests with the person carrying out the building work. So if you are carrying out the work personally the responsibility will be yours. If you are employing a builder the responsibility will usually be that firm's - but you should confirm this position at the very beginning.
For more information on how to apply for Building Regulation consent or technical guidance on specific aspects of the regulations please use the links on the left hand side.
