Rother District Council

What is Building Control?

Building Regulations are designed to safeguard the well-being of people in and around buildings as well as to ensure that buildings are safe, healthy, accessible and sustainable for current and future generations.

Building Control should not be confused with planning. Building regulations approval does not mean the same as obtaining planning permission for your work. In the same way, being granted planning permission is not the same as taking action to ensure that the work complies with building regulations.

Building Control legislation covers the structure, construction and the health and safety aspects of buildings. Planning legislation covers the size and appearance of buildings and how they affect the street scene. Find further information about Planning Applications click here.

The main function of Building Control is to ensure that new building work meets the requirements of the Building Regulations. These Regulations cover matters such as structural stability, fire safety, conservation of fuel and power and access and facilities for disabled persons. This is achieved by checking plans of proposed works and then carrying out inspections of the work on site as it proceeds.

Building Control will support and advise customers on how to end up with the result that they want, which may involve seeking professional design and construction advice. It is also important to note that the person carrying out the work is responsible for compliance with building standards. If work is found not to comply, the person responsible will be required to put the work right. In addition, our role is not to manage every stage of the construction process or to address issues regarding quality of work where these are not relevant to compliance with Building Regulations. Also we cannot deal with contractual or civil disputes, such as those that may arise between client and builder or between neighbours (such as Party Wall or boundary disputes).

Building Control carry out additional safety roles in addition to the main function, such as checking the stability of certain temporary structures and dealing with demolition works and dangerous structures.

Visit the Interactive House Guide pages of the Planning Portal website for further information.

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