What exactly is Building Control?

Well...

Building Control is the process of plan examination and approval, site inspections of building works in progress and advice on how best to comply with the Building Regulations in relation to your project.

Building Regulations are made by Government and, it must be said, failure to comply with them is a criminal offense.

The Building Regulations consist of a collection of functional requirements and a set of ‘Approved Documents’ which suggest a way of complying. Most people tend to use the Approved Documents as they were the Regulations themselves.

There is an Approved Document for each of the ‘elements’ in a building ranging from AD ‘A’ – Structure to AD ’P’ for Electrical Installations.

Part M, for instance, is dedicated to Access for Disabled and is also used for Access Audits as ‘the measure’ of a building’s accessibility. There are, for example, requirements for guarding to external doorways and the provision of vision panels in circulation spaces at such a level to benefit to wheelchair users.