On this page you will find information about:
For information about:
- Regularisation
- Building notices
- Payment of charges
- Building over/near to sewers
- Completion certificate
- Exemptions
- Enforcement
- Approved inspectors
see the Building control general information page.
Building notices
Building notices contain a limited amount of information concerning your proposal and enable work to be carried out without preparing detailed plans. We will not issue an approval notice where a building notice is given, and may ask for additional information or plans to be submitted at a later date.
If you submit a building notice you can start work on site after the statutory period of 48 hours, although if you contact us you may be able to start earlier. However, the correct charge must accompany your notice. There are additional risks in commencing work under a building notice for complex projects where no plans and particulars have been submitted.
In the case of a new building or extension, the building notice must be accompanied by a site location plan at a scale of 1:1250, particulars of the drainage and a statement of the number of storeys involved in the development. .
Building notices are well suited to simple jobs such as installing a new bathroom or other more usual types of work. They should however, be used with care for more complex projects. Building notices are not acceptable for all types of building work and in particular cannot be used if you are proposing to build over or close to a public sewer, in which case a full plans application is required.
Full plans application
Full plans consist of detailed drawings and other particulars of your proposals, drawn to scale. They are examined for compliance with the Building Regulations and if found to be satisfactory we will issue an approval notice. Additional information in respect of particular forms of construction may be required following receipt of the full plans application.
When making a full plans application you should enclose the appropriate charge together with two copies of the drawings and if appropriate, structural calculations, giving full details of your proposals. Charges are set locally within a framework set by the government. The statutory limit for dealing with your full plans application is five weeks although a decision may be made within a shorter time.
Rejection of your application is not refusal of the scheme as a whole and will generally only occur if it shows major contravention of the building regulations, or there is insufficient information. Wherever possible approval, if necessary with conditions where we need additional information or if minor changes are needed, will be granted.
Additional charges are not required where further information has to be given to the council, provided the work remains substantially the same. If you, or your agent, disagree with our decision to reject the full plans application, you have the right to appeal to the Department of Communities and Local Government, under this application route.
Inspections
If you submit a full plan application or a building notice you can start work on site after giving the statutory period of 48 hours notice in writing, although if you contact us you may be able to start earlier. However, the correct charge must accompany your notice.
Inspection of the work on site will be undertaken to ensure compliance with the building regulations. In particular the following aspects of the work has to be notified and may be examined:
- Foundation excavations
- Completed foundations
- Ground floor oversite preparation
- Damp proof courses and membranes
- Drainage systems before and after covering
- Occupation
- Completion
The notifiable inspections will, in effect, constitute the council's inspection regime as appropriate to the type of work proposed. We use a risk assessment process to determine what building regulation inspections are undertaken on a daily basis, subject to availability of building control surveyors.
Please provide a daytime telephone contact number when requesting site inspection visits.
When you or your builder have notified us that the work is completed, and a satisfactory final inspection has been made, a formal certificate of completion may be issued to show that, as far as can be ascertained, the work complies with the building regulations.
This can be particularly useful if the building is subsequently sold or if you are securing additional funds. You may request this at the beginning of the project or at its completion. An additional charge is made for completion certificates under the building notice route.
Party walls
Apart from any building work needing to comply with building regulations in the first instance, party walls come under separate legislation, which the council cannot deal with. You may need to contact a specialist party wall surveyor.
Demolishing a building
No person is permitted to begin a demolition unless notice is first given to us and either a counter notice is given under Section 81 of the Building Act 1984 or six weeks has expired from the giving of the demolition notice under Section 80. Failure to give notice, can result in a fine not exceeding £2,000 on the current scale.
Notice is not required in respect of a building not more than 1,750 cubic feet in volume by external measurement although consideration must also be given to the requirements of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (send to: planningcomments@hounslow.gov.uk) as it may relate to demolition and ‘development’.
Demolition work must also comply with the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 and a health and safety plan produced by the principal contractor.
Contact us
Building Control Section
Borough Planning Department
Civic Centre
Lampton Road
Hounslow
TW3 4DN.
Borough Planning Department
Civic Centre
Lampton Road
Hounslow
TW3 4DN.
If you want planning advice on householder applications or basic building regulations advice you can make an appointment to visit the offices between 1pm and 4.30pm. You'll be given a 15 to 30-minute slot depending on the nature of the enquiry.
Contact us to arrange an appointment::
Email:planning.searches@hounslow.gov.uk
Tel: 020 8583 5136
Tel: 020 8583 5136
If you are a builder or agent wanting to submit a building regulations application you can visit the offices between 9am and 10am without an appointment.