Building Regulations and Approved Documents
Where Do The Building Regulations Come From?
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The origins of Building Control and the Building Regulations lie as far back as the 1600's. The Great Fire of London in 1666 ravaged the capital's many timber buildings, leaving much of the population homeless. Parliament reacted to this and passed an Act in 1667 for the rebuild of London, with the very first surveyors in place to ensure that the requirements of the act, which ensured that buildings were somewhat fire resistant, we not contravened.
Following this, outbreaks of diseases such as cholera arose due to poor qualities of sanitation and lack of ventilation. The Government created the Public Health Act in 1875, and the Building Inspectors took control of this to improve the standard of housing. This then gave way to the Building Regulations in 1965. It was 20 years before the Building Act was introduced, which allows the Building Regulations to be amended easily. The most recent change to the Building Regulations was in 2000, and this is the set of Regulations which we work to today.
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| The current Building Regulations 2000 (as amended) are legal requirements under the Building Act 1984 designed to ensure the health and safety of building users. They also take into account energy conservation, and access and use of buildings by people, including disabled people. The regulations themselves are in the form of a 40 page document known as a statutory instrument. This simply states the regulations but doesn't itself elaborate or give guidance on how to comply with or meet the regulations. |
The Approved Documents
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To give guidance on the Building Regulations, there is a series of Approved Documents. These are technical documents which give much more information, diagrams, facts and figures to explain how it is possible to comply with the requirements set out in the Building Regulations.
When checking works for compliance with the Building Regulations, the Building Control Officer will refer to the Approved Documents and other British Standards.
The Approved Documents are available to download individually below, or on the Planning Portal Website.
The Building Regulations are constantly updated, and as a result of this, new editions of the Approved Documents are often issued. Please visit our news section for regular updates on changes and consulations for the Approved Documents.
Created : Fri,09 May 2008
Updated : Tue,12 Aug 2008
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