What information do I need to supply to the council if I plan to:

Rebuild a wall on the boundary with the neighbours land

Remove a supporting wall and install a lintel as support....

Cheers

The origins of Building Regulations date back to the Public Health Act of 1876, when byelaws which related to the way in which a building could be constructed were made.

The Building Regulation process is intended to secure the health, safety, welfare and convenience of people in and around buildings, and to ensure the conservation of fuel and power. Current regulations are based on the Building Act 1984.

They apply to any building work that involves:

the erection of a new building
the alteration or extension of an existing building
the provision of hot water storage, sanitary conveniences, or heating appliances
the change of use of all or part of a building

This means, your reconstruction of a boundary wall will not be subjected to building regulations providing it is the same specifications as the original wall.

Constructing Boundary Wall

You do not need to make a make a Building Regulation submission to construct a boundary wall providing it does not form part of the building.

You should speak with your neighbours about proposed building works in an effort to avoid dispute when work on an existing wall which is shared with another property. The Party Wall Act 1996 requires you to inform adjoining owners, even if the work you intend to do is exempt under Building Regulations.

We recommend that all free-standing walls are constructed in accordance with Building Research Establishment Document GBG14


As for removing a supporting wall, and making safe with a lintle (I assume that you are considering a lounge/diner), as far as I am aware, no building regulations nor planning permission is needed. Of course, if you choose to smash down your wall without adequate supervision and expertise and of course, a couple of dead-men, the whole house could break it's back and you would be left homeless :D

[Edited by Soulgirl - 1/29/2004 10:49:25 PM]

Try calling Building Control at your local council and asking for the officer that covers your area. They will confirm whether or not you need to put an application in, and what information they would need to support it.

They may ask for structural calc's to prove that the proposed lintel will be sufficient to support the remainder of the wall above it.

We deal with Building Control all the time at work, and they are really helpful most of the time.


John.