There have been significant updates to building regulations in the UK, with a focus on improved energy efficiency and a revamped building control process. Here's a breakdown of the latest building regulation changes
Energy Efficiency (June 2022):
Focus: Reducing carbon emissions in new buildings.
Key point: New homes and buildings need to be designed for significantly lower CO2 emissions – around 30% lower for new homes and 27% lower for other new buildings like offices and shops.
Building Control Process (October 2023):
Higher-risk buildings: This applies to buildings like tall residential buildings (over 18 meters or 7 storeys) and some other types. These buildings go through a separate approval process from lower-risk buildings overseen by a new building safety regulator.
Automatic lapse of approvals: Building control approval now automatically expires after three years if work hasn't begun on that specific part of the project. This aims to prevent delays and encourage project progress.
Important considerations:
These changes primarily apply to building applications submitted after June 2022 and October 2023 respectively.
Transitional arrangements might exist depending on your project's planning stage before these dates.
