Building Control & Planning Application Support

Planning permission and permitted development

Whether work needs planning permission depends on what you are building, its size and position, the property itself and what has been done to it before. Extensions, new dwellings, outbuildings, conversions and changes of use all sit in different places, and listed buildings, conservation areas and properties with existing extensions or removed permitted development rights have tighter constraints. Assuming rather than checking is the expensive route. Where an application is needed we prepare and submit it on your behalf with the required drawings and information, and deal with the queries that come back.

Building regulations and notifiable work

Planning and building regulations are two separate things, and work can need one, both or neither. Building regulations cover how the work is built: structure, drainage, damp proofing, insulation, ventilation, fire safety, stairs and safe access. Extensions, new builds, conversions, structural alterations, new drainage, roof work and much internal alteration are notifiable. We notify building control before work starts, so the inspection stages are set out from the beginning rather than caught up with halfway through.

The inspection stages we book and attend

The exact stages depend on the project, but on most jobs they include:

• Commencement, notification before work starts on site
• Excavation: the open foundation trench, before any concrete is poured
• Foundation, the poured foundation before building off it
• Damp proof course and floor slab construction
• Drainage: installation before backfilling, plus air testing where required
• Structural work: beams, lintels, openings, roof structure and restraint
• Insulation and thermal elements before they are covered
• Completion, final inspection and the completion certificate

Working with architects, designers and engineers

We build to other people's drawings as a matter of routine, and we would rather be involved early enough to flag buildability issues than be handed a finished design with a problem in it. On site the structural engineer's details are held and followed: beam sizes and bearings, padstones, reinforcement schedules, cover, strapping and restraint - and where what we uncover in the ground differs from the design assumption, we stop and have it reviewed rather than adapting it ourselves. Queries go back to the design team quickly, because a query sitting unanswered for a fortnight is a fortnight of programme.

Structural warranties on new builds

A structural warranty can be arranged on new builds, and it is worth deciding on at the start. Warranty providers inspect and want evidence collected as the build progresses: foundations, structure, drainage and weatherproofing - so the decision is much simpler before the ground stage than after it. Warranties matter for self-build finance, for mortgage lending on a newly built property, and for any future sale within the warranty period, so it is not an administrative detail to leave until the end.

Properties with unapproved previous work

We are regularly asked to look at properties where earlier work was never signed off, an extension with no completion certificate, a removed wall with no evidence of a beam, a converted garage with no approvals. The honest answer varies: sometimes a regularisation route exists, sometimes work has to be opened up so it can be inspected, and sometimes it needs correcting. What does not work is ignoring it and hoping it stays quiet until after a sale. We will tell you what we can see, what would need opening up to establish, and what putting it right involves.

Records, certificates and what to keep

At the end of a project you should hold the planning permission and approved drawings, the building control completion certificate, the structural engineer's calculations and drawings, electrical and gas certificates for the specialist work, drainage test results where applicable, and warranty documentation where a warranty was arranged. We hand these over rather than filing them ourselves, because you are the one who will be asked for them: often years later, by a solicitor working to a deadline.

Homeowners, self-builders, developers and commercial clients

For homeowners the value is simply not having to run the process while holding down a job. Self-builders often need advice earlier: on what to design, calculate and apply for before any work can start. Developers need consents and inspections managed across multiple plots to a programme, with evidence for warranties and sales. Commercial clients bring additional considerations around use, access and fire safety. We handle this side of the work across Cornwall and Devon as far as Exeter, as part of the building work we carry out.