On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 19:05:26 +0000 (UTC), "Jonathan Webb"
wrote:

Andy,
Thanks - some real meat there-just what I was after. Any WWW or hard
copy resources you could mention?

Yup, our local BC people zealously apply themselves to making peoples
lives difficult (& costly)as well as applying the regs to the letter
rather than the spirit.

That can cut both ways of course. If they want to play by the
letter of the law then it gives you the possibility to do the same
thing.


My paragraph about the fee comes from here
(FYI http://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning/building_fees.htm).

If you compare with equivalent pages of other local authorities it
refers to the Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations and you
will see similar tables.

The comment on your LA's reference in para. 8 does point out that the
charges are based on a written estimate from someone in business to do
such work.

However to add the remark "In effect, this means that only an estimate
from a builder, or equivalent, is acceptable and rules out the DIY
element." ; I think is unneccessary and exceeding their remit. I
would write to my councillor about it, but that's me.


One of the
things I'm trying to work out is if I need to contact them at all.
No point in adding to their workload. But if I must, then I must.

As far as I can see, there would be nothing to stop you from going to
an appropriate contractor or contractors and asking them for a labour
only quote for example for installing a boiler and say a hot water
cylinder. This should come out at under £1000 which is the minimum
band for a building notice charge.

Note that the paragraph on your LA's web site (and I think you'll find
the same in the Approved Documents to the Building Regulations) talks
about the cost of the work. It doesn't stipulate that that has to
include the materials from what I can find.

http://www.safety.odpm.gov.uk/bregs/index.htm

has a lot of information.

The other approach is to not do anything and then to apply for
regularisation when you come to sell the house. Personally I
wouldn't do this unless the self certification game with building
regulations goes further - e.g. with electrical installation etc.
However it's interesting to note that the fee is the standard one plus
20% but no VAT, therefore not much different.

As a bit of a treehugger, I have no problem in increased energy
efficiency, but dickheads making & enforcing policy like this, is not
the way to go about it.

The dickheads are certainly making the policies, basically because
they are of a mind that increased regulation is a Good Thing.

The doubly unacceptable aspect is that the costs of legislation are
being passed directly on to those who didn't want or need it in the
first place.

I completely agree with you regarding energy efficiency and other
aspects surrounding this. I would rather put my money into buying a
better product or more insulation than paying somebody to come and
check up that I've done the minimum.


What happened to grants for condensing boilers?

That was last year's spin marketing budget.


Did I hear the words "stealth tax"?
Probably drowned out in by the flatulence coming from our Tone.
With LA grants cut, wherelse are they going to top up their budgets?

Ta
Jono


..andy

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