GIVE US NOTICE OF BUILDING WORK
If you are intending to carry out building work, by law you must provide written notice to Council to allow officers to inspect the work. Read more here or below:
Applicants and their builders should continue to give notice to the Building Control Department of on-going work at the various stages in accordance with Regulation 12 of The Building Regulations (NI) 2012.
Link to Regulation 12 - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2012/192/regulation/12/made
Open air inspections
Building Control have resumed (from w/c 25 May 2020) a limited number of site inspections, where it is deemed safe to do so in accordance with current Government guidance. These are primarily those in the open air and include work at the following stages:
• Foundations
• Sub-floor
• Radon barriers / DPM
• Drainage
• Roof, where this can be inspected externally from ground level
• Boiler installations, where these can be inspected externally
• Cavity wall insulation
• Completions for new buildings, where these have not yet been occupied. See also below.
To enable Council to carry out these inspections 2 working day’s notice should be given in line with Regulation 12. All responses to requests for site inspections will be based on the applicant’s ability to ensure that the site will be safe to enter in accordance with current Government and industry guidance and any specific requirements Council may stipulate. Notification / inspection request should only be submitted through the following email address.
Failure to comply with the above 2 days notice requirement will mean the requested inspection will not take place.
Notification to: [email protected]
Please specify the following information in your email notification:
• The Building Control application ref number e.g. F/2021/1234
• Site postal address (and the site number if applicable)
• Stage of work
• Name of site contact and telephone number
Virtual inspections
Where it is considered unsafe for physical site inspections to be carried out some interim inspections may be conducted using video calls and / or the submission of photographic evidence. This should be discussed with the officer assigned to the project. Any certificates issued on the basis of such virtual inspections will be qualified accordingly.
Limited internal inspections (unoccupied new buildings)
The following measures should be in place 2 hours prior to inspection, to facilitate internal inspections of unoccupied newly completed buildings:
1. Building should be unoccupied and remain vacated with no site personnel in the property during the inspection.
2. All external doors and windows should be open to ventilate the property.
3. All internal doors should be open.
4. Trap door to loft should be open and readily accessible by ladder.
5. Boiler cabinets should be open.
6. Social distancing (min 2m) should be observed at all times by site personnel and BCO.
Should officers arrive on site and determine that the above requirements have not been met, then they will terminate their inspection immediately.
Occupied buildings
In line with current Government guidance no inspections are being carried out to occupied premises (The applicability of virtual inspections should be discussed with the relevant BCO).
Applicants, agents and builders should check this page frequently as this guidance is under constant review.