Brock Tips

Development Control

Seek your local council planning department for advice about the work for which you need to apply for planning permission and those for which you do not.

Parliament has given the main responsibility for planning to local planning authorities. If you have any queries about a particular case, the first thing to do is to ask the planning department of your local council. You may also be able to find out more about planning law in your local library. If you are concerned about a legal problem involving planning, the local Citizens Advice Bureau or a solicitor may be able to help. It is your responsibility for seeking, or not seeking, planning permission. If required, planning permission should be granted before any work begins.

Enforcement - If you go ahead with your development without the required permission, the local council that is the planning authority for your area may ask you to make a retrospective planning application. If it decides that permission should not be granted it may require you to put things back as they were. You can appeal but if the verdict comes out against you and you still refuse to comply you may be prosecuted.

Planning Portal at: www.planningportal.gov.uk

Building Regulations

Communities and Local Government is responsible for building regulations, which exist to ensure the health and safety of people in and around buildings, and the energy efficiency of buildings. The regulations apply to most new buildings and many alterations of existing buildings in England and Wales, whether domestic, commercial or industrial.

General public users and professional users can access building regulations guidance, including the Approved Documents and associated guidance.

Planning Portal at: www.planningportal.gov.uk

Federation of Master Builders

The Federation of Master Builders was established in the UK more than 60 years ago. It is a trade association that was formed to benefit small to medium sized businesses, and has now grown into the largest UK trade association for the building industry. The FMB is wholly independent and is a non-profit venture, designed for the interests of its members.

The FMB provides a network of advice and support for its registered members, and offers up to date services to keep them ahead of the building game.

However, the existence of the Federation of Master Builders does not just benefit its members. Membership is available only to those who follow a strict Code of Practice, which means that if you employ an FMB member you are safeguarding the quality of your work; or in a rare instance where you may be unsatisfied, there is an independent body to review your case.

European Builders Confederation

The European Builders Confederation is a conglomeration of national building federations for small-medium sized businesses from states of the European Union and Switzerland. The EBC contains around 350,000 building employers, of which the Federation of Master Builders was a founder member.

Public Liability Insurance

Public Liability Cover should be considered if members of the public, clients or customers visit your premises. If you run a home-business, and customers sometimes visit you there, public liability cover might also be a good idea.

Public Liability insurance will cover you if someone is accidentally injured by you or your business operation. It will also cover you if you damage third party property while on business. The cover should include any legal fees and expenses which result from any claim by a third party.

Trading Standards

If a trader with whom you are in dispute is a member of a trade association, or is regulated by a professional body, you may be able to get help and/or expert opinions from that body. Here is a list of some associations - if you can't find any relevant ones from this list, contact Trading Standards or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Citizens Advice

The Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free information and advice from over 3,000 locations, and by influencing policymakers.

Citizens Advice and each Citizens Advice Bureau are registered charities reliant on over 20,000 volunteers and need to raise funds to provide these vital services. The majority of our advisers are trained volunteers, helping people to resolve nearly 5.5 million problems every year.

All Citizens Advice Bureaux in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are members of Citizens Advice, the national charity which sets standards for advice and equal opportunities and supports bureaux with an information system, training and other services.

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