On 2 Jul 2004 12:37:07 -0700, a particular chimpanzee named
(Lobster) randomly hit the keyboard and
produced:

My project (which I've asked many questions about here!) is
reinstating two small 1900's terraced houses from one (they had been
knocked together into a single house about 30-40 years ago I think).
Is that why she's talking about 'material change of use'?? It had
been my understanding, in agreement with Hugo's post above, that the
rules did not apply retrospectively and that the windows were fine as
is. Anyone got any ideas or comments?

Ah, the penny drops. Changing a building to create a greater or
_lesser_ number of dwellings than previously is a "material change of
use", and as such pretty much all of the requirements apply. This
includes the means of escape in case of fire.

It sounds like you have received less than exemplary service from, I
suspect, a trainee BCO who may be unsure of the requirements herself.
We've all got to learn sometime (as you are also learning about the
Regulations as you carry out the work), and maybe you've been putting
her on the spot to say whether something is right or not when she
needs to take advice. Maybe you are a bit intimidating, and she feels
she can't tell you that something needs to be done to your face. I
don't know; I'm only seeing a very small part of the picture here.

As I mentioned in a post a few weeks back, this is really doing my
head in. Last time the BCO was round she came up with the need for
interlinking the smoke alarms and an extractor fan for the kitchen
(after the plasterer had been and gone). And now this... I'd had a
builder in, with a scaffolding tower, about two months ago installing
another window and door, which would have been the ideal time to do
this work. As it is, I've now reached the decorating stage in the
rooms concerned. I can only wonder what else she'll come up with...

Ask her (in the form of a letter or e-mail) to state the applicable
requirements that your work needs to comply with, and wherever
possible, ways of meeting them. Don't however expect Building Control
to design your work for you; that's what an architect or surveyor is
for.
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this, just how far from the pack have you strayed?"