Lord Broughamand Vaux asked Her Majesty's Government:
What changes they propose to make to the Building Regulations 1991.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Arran)My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, is today laying before parliament the Building Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 1994. The main purpose of these amendments is to strengthen the requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations 1991 for the conservation of fuel and power; to improve Part F on ventilation; and to simplify Part A on structural stability. They also introduce a new Regulation 13A to regularise unauthorised development.
In revising Part L, the aim has been to reduce CO2 emissions from buildings by incorporating cost effective measures, but to do so in a way which does not introduce unacceptable technical risks and maintains some flexibility for designers. The Building Research Establishment estimates that the changes will improve the energy performance of space and water heating in houses by some 25 to 35 per cent. compared with current building regulations standards, with similar improvements in the non-domestic.
The revisions to Part F have been introduced to improve and simplify the current provisions for ventilation in dwellings and to provide builders with a wider range of options on how this can be achieved Requirements for non-domestic buildings are included in building regulations for the first time to reflect the relevant requirements of the "Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992" so that new building work should not require subsequent adaptation.
To provide sufficient time for the industry, including builders, designers and building control bodies, to assimilate the changes, Parts L and F will come into force on 1 July 1995.
The revision to Part A simplifies the requirement relating to disproportionate collapse of certain public buildings without detriment to safety. The new Regulation 13A has been introduced to allow local authorities to certify building work which should have been subject to control but was previously unauthorised. The local authorities will be able to charge fees for carrying out this new task, fees which will be prescribed in new Regulations to be laid before Parliament shortly. The revision to Part A comes into force on 1 September 1994, and the new Regulation 13A on 1 October 1994.
Copies of the new editions of approved documents F & L and the related cost compliance assessments have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.