Building Warrant & Regulations
In addition to planning permission, you will also need to apply for a building warrant before you can start building work on your project. While planning permission largely focuses on how the external appearance of your project will look, to get a building warrant you will need to show that the design of your project will comply with all the requirements of the building regulations.
There are two technical handbooks issued by Scottish Ministers, one covering domestic buildings and the other non- domestic buildings. These handbooks give guidance on how to comply with the building regulations. Your local council administer the building standards system and are responsible for granting permission for work to be executed and for a completed building to be occupied.
Each handbook is split into 7 sections:
Section 1 Structure // Section 2 Fire // Section 3 Environment // Section 4 Safety // Section 5 Noise // Section 6 Energy // Section 7 Sustainability
Each of the 7 sections consists of an introduction and then general guidance on
the standards within the section. For example Section 3 Environment has 27 sub clauses!
However As the building regulations are “guidance”, a designer may put forward other ways of meeting the regulations, in the form of alternative solutions. This provides a flexible system of control.
