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Environment 

Full plans approval

Application form and fees

To obtain Full Plans approval, you will need to submit:

  • two copies of the application form
  • detailed plans
  • specifications
  • in some cases structural calculations
  • the correct fee

We will acknowledge receipt of your application within three working days. You can apply online or alternatively download/view both the application form and information on fees from the menu on the right.

Work can start as soon as an application form has been submitted but you must give Building Control at least two days notice of the start date.  You do however, run the risk of breaching Building Regulations if work is carried out in accordance with plans that have not been approved.

Building Regulations charges

These are set by the Local Authority in accordance with the Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 1998, the aim being to recover the cost of carrying out the service. A 'plan charge' is payable on submission of the application, and for all but the smallest projects an 'inspection charge' is payable after the first inspection has taken place. The single inspection charge covers all visits, regardless of the number required.

The application process

The plans will be thoroughly checked by Building Control and may include consultations with other agencies.

The outcome of this assessment will be communicated to you within 15 working days of receiving the application.

If further information or changes to the plans are required these should be submitted promptly to enable us to check them and issue a decision within 5 weeks of the submission date. This time limit can be extended to two months by agreement. (This option is on the application form.) The Approval Notice is valid for three years.

If the required information is not received in time we may have to reject the plans. When the plans/further details are ready you can resubmit them at no extra cost provided they haven't changed significantly from the original application.

A Conditional Approval Notice may be given if only a few details are required.

A Building Control officer will inspect the work at various stages to ensure it complies with Building Regulations.  When the work is finished it will be inspected for a final time before issuing a Completion Certificate.

For more information contact Building Control.