Service update: important information regarding the temporary implications on our Building Control service

Under the recently introduced Building Safety Act, Building Control and particularly Building Regulation work is now directed by the government's new Building Safety Regulator.

Despite the introduction of these new legislative arrangements, it remains that all local authorities have a continuing legal duty to provide a Building Control service for its residents and businesses. Therefore, we also have a commitment to meet this obligation.

Unfortunately, as Building Control transitions across to the Building Safety Regulator, this has resulted in a national shortage of newly required Registered Building Inspectors. Unlike previous years, Registered Building Inspectors are now the only officers who are legally able to undertake the restricted activities and functions of administering Building Regulation applications and the inspection of building works.

With the introduction of these new arrangements, many practitioners have left this newly-established Building Control profession, leading to a widespread shortage of Registered Building Inspectors across the industry.

We apologise for the position that our Building Control service is currently in and understand the frustration this is causing our customers and clients. We're trying to resolve the situation and hope that new Registered Building Inspectors will be able to join our team in the coming weeks.

Once we have new inspectors available, we will be able to resume fully administering your Building Regulation applications and conduct site inspections than we haven't been able to do in recent months.

New legislation now specifies that there is a duty placed upon the property owner (whether they undertake notifiable work themselves or through their own nominated principal contractor), who is responsible for their notifiable building work to comply with the building regulations.

At the same time, the notifiable building work must also accord with all building regulation-approved specifications, plan and any structural designs and manufacturer's product instructions. Variations to approved designs can be made, but again it is an obligation of the property owner to inform how any variations are to comply.

Under new legislative arrangements there is also a duty placed upon the property owner to statutorily inform Building Control when certain stages of the work on site have been reached. Such notification may be issued by the property owner or their chosen principal contractor. These inspection stages are set out in the Building Control validation letter which is issued to each applicant when a proposed Building Regulation application is submitted.

In respect of the property owner's statutory obligation to notify inspection requests, when an inspection is required on site please continue to:

• phone our contact centre team on 01903 221068 or 01903 221418
• or email building.control@adur-worthing.gov.uk

It's recommended that when emailing an inspection request that the property owner also includes date and geo stamped photographs of the work for reference to Building Control.

Finally, please note that once an inspection request has been issued to our teams and the 48-hour notice period has passed, the property owner is entitled to continue with the work but on the basis that the work itself accords with the granted or approved plans.

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