Building Act 1984

The Building Act 1984 is a United Kingdom statute and is the enabling Act under which the Building Regulations, which extend to England and Wales have been made. Sections 1(1) and 1(1A) read:

"Power to make building regulations.

1.—(1)The Secretary of State, under the power given in the Building Act 1984, may for any purposes of:

:(a) securing the health, safety, welfare and convenience of persons in or about buildings and of others who may be affected by buildings or matters connected with buildings;

:(b) furthering the conservation of fuel and power;

:(c) preventing waste, undue consumption, misuse or contamination of water;

:(d) furthering the protection or enhancement of the environment;

:(e) facilitating sustainable development; or

:(f) furthering the prevention or detection of crime;

make (building) regulations with respect to the matters mentioned in subsection (1A) below.

(1A) Those matters are—

:(a) the design and construction of buildings;

:(b) the demolition of buildings;

:(c) services, fittings and equipment provided in or in connection with buildings."

The powers to make Building Regulations have been amended and extended in their scope by two recent Acts of Parliament; the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004 and the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006. The latter Act also alters the enforcement powers of Local Building Control Authorities, in England and Wales.

Scotland has its own Building (Scotland) Act 2003 and its own Building Standards Regulations 2005. See the SBSA Website at [http://www.sbsa.gov.uk Scottish Building Standards Agency] .

ources

Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG)
* [http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1130482 ODPM Website]

External links

* [http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/117/BuildingRegulationsExplanatoryBookletPDF1191Kb_id1131117.pdf Building regulations Explanatory booklet]

Note this booklet was correct as of 1st May 2004 - The Building Regulations have been amended eleven times since then - so do check with your Local Authority "Building Control" service, See [http://www.labc-services.co.uk] for your local contact point, or consult an "Approved Inspector". [http://www.cic.co.uk]

The Government has said that it will issue a new version in the Spring of 2008.