What is the application process?
From 1st October 2023, you must submit the duty holders’ details, and provide the “New Application Declaration” form, signed by the duty holders, when submitting your application. This form confirms all duty holders agree to their appointment, and will carry out their duties.
- Client – the person or company that owns the building and for whom the work is being carried out. Responsible for managing the project, including appointing other competent duty holders.
- Principal Designer – the sole or lead designer appointed under regulation 11D responsible for the designs and sign off of plans to submit for Building Control Approval
- Principal Contractor – the contractor appointed under regulation 11D who carries out the building work
Duty holders must be appointed by the Client. Where appropriate one person/organisation can fulfil more than one duty holder role.
The Duty Holder “Principal Designer” will need to plan and design the works, including being responsible for any calculations or relevant technical assessments. If a duty holder needs to leave the project before completion, the client must appoint a new competent duty holder (you can tell us online here under the “Tell Us About” option).
At the end of works all duty holders will need to sign the Completion Notice to confirm to the best of their knowledge works are compliant with the regulations.
Under the Building Safety Act 2022, we are no longer able to help formulate designs or give advice on how works should be carried out. We can only check your plans as submitted against the regulations, to confirm if they are compliant.
You must apply with as much time as possible (particularly in the case of a regularisation), as we will not be able to take account of outside factors such as the time sensitivity of a sale when properly processing your application and checking if the building works are safe and compliant with regulations.
Once ready to submit, the application will go through the following steps:
- Decide on the correct application route, e.g. Full Plans, Building Notice, etc.
- Prepare your application.
- The client (building owner) should appoint all the duty holders. The principal designer should agree all designs and plans. Everyone should familiarise themselves with their duties under the Building Safety Act 2022 as duty holders.
- Example lists of documents to include can be found under the sections: Full Plans, Building Notice, Partner Applications, Regularisation, Reversion, Demolition.
- The client and principal designer, agent if applicable, and contractor if already known, must wet sign the New Application Declaration, to confirm they are happy to be appointed to their roles and will perform the duties of their role. The contractor must wet sign before works begin.
- If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to your application (typically for external and common areas of flats, public, institutional or commercial buildings), you will need to complete the Fire Consultation Pro Forma.
- Gather the details if applicable, of your structural engineer, and scaffolder.
- Check if there are any known health and safety risks for your site, such as asbestos in the area of works.
- Submit application and all documents using the online application form.
- The applicant is sent an email with our fees for the application, and a link to our online Council Payment Service.
- To proceed with the application, please follow the link and pay by card.
- The applicant is sent a document pack, including validation, next steps, a payment receipt, and the Inspection Stages sheet. You can see the typical points that require an inspection. If you do not receive your validation pack within 5 working days of payment, please email buildingcontrol@colchester.gov.uk.
- The applicant is sent a validation document pack, including the validation letter, next steps, a payment receipt, and the Inspection Stages sheet. You can see the typical points that require an inspection.
- If the application is Full Plans, the application will be reviewed in up to 5-8 weeks, by an Inspector for a decision notice on plan approval. (Most works will receive a decision notice quicker than this. If any works are done on site before plan approval, it is done at the applicant’s own risk and cost).
- If works have not yet started on site, and you decide you wish to close your application, you can tell us online here, under the “Tell Us About” section.
- For a Full Plans application, the inspection fee must be paid before inspections can be booked. Please follow the link in your initial fees request email for your application, to arrange payment. If the link has expired, please contact us.
- Before works start, if you have not already submitted the full Duty Holder details for the Principal Contractor, you must submit their details now, with a copy of the “New Application Declaration” from, signed by the Principal Contractor, confirming that they will carry out their duties under the Building Safety Act 2022. You can give us their details online here, under the “Tell Us About” section.
- If you have not commenced works within 3 years of your application being validated, your application will automatically expire under Section 32.
- You must inform us when works start. You can tell us online here under the “Tell Us About” section.
- 48 hours after validation, inspections can be booked anytime through the LABC Inspection Request app, or from 10am-2pm Mon-Fri by phone 01206 282436. You can book latest at 2pm the working day before you would like the appointment. We are unable to offer same day or timed appointments, you will need to be onsite for the day. It is especially recommended if the inspection is time sensitive, such as pouring concrete, to give as much notice as possible. If using the inspection booking app, please give a name and contact number for the visit in the further information box.
- Clients are responsible for ensuring inspections are booked at the appropriate stages. You should book an inspection at the start of the first important stage of works (please see the Inspection Stages Sheet in your validation pack).
- You must inform us when works commence (usually when foundations or 15% of works are complete - this will be agreed with your inspector). You can tell us online here under the “Tell Us About” section.
- As works progress, all building work certificates, e.g. electrical certificates, should be emailed to building.control@colchester.gov.uk
- If a duty holder needs to leave the project before completion, the client must appoint a new competent duty holder (you can tell us online here under the “Tell Us About” option).
- When works are complete, any conditions issued have been satisfied (if Full Plans), and all certificates and requested paperwork have been sent, please use the LABC Inspection Request app or call 01206 282436 to book the final completion inspection.
- All duty holders (the client, the principal designer, and the principal contractor), must sign off the Completion Notice Form confirming they have carried out their duties and reasonably believe the works to be compliant.
- If all is satisfactory, the building control inspector will issue the completion certificate.