The main purpose of Building Control and the Building Regulations is to protect the health and safety of people in and around buildings. More recently, the welfare and convenience of building users and the conservation of energy have been included.
If one wants to construct, extend or alter a dwelling or a building that is a workplace, it is likely that an application will be required under the Building Regulations.
Building Control is the process where applications are submitted and inspections are carried out to ensure that building work satisfies the standards set by the Building Regulations.
The control of buildings can be traced back to the Great Fire of London in 1666, after which King Charles II decreed that walls between buildings must be built of brick or stone and that buildings with timber cladding must be built far enough apart to prevent the spread the spread of fire from one building to another.
The Building Regulations set minimum standards for the design and construction of buildings. Building Regulations were first introduced in 1966 and have been added to and amended periodically since.
More information on Building Control and the Building Regulations is to be found in the Government’s Building Control explanatory booklet at http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/buildingregulationsexplanatory
Contact us
Building Control
Environment and Regeneration
Waltham Forest Council
Sycamore House
Forest Road
London E17 4JF
Tel 020 8496 3000
Email building.control@walthamforest.gov.uk
