ABSTRACT
This chapter shows an account of construction legislation as a whole. In England and Wales the basic framework of control is found in the Building Act 1984 and in the Building Regulations made under it. Some sections of the old London Building Acts have been incorporated/amended by the Building Regulations 1987 and may be applicable to some inner London buildings. The Building Regulations 2018 contain detailed and prescriptive technical requirements, conspicuously unlike the broad functional requirements of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010. The status and use of the Approved Documents is laid down in sections 6 and 7 of the Building Act 1984. The Building Regulations 2010 contain the technical and procedural rules governing building control by local authorities. Before considering the procedural requirements in detail, several important matters must be emphasised: discretion of local authorities, breach of Building Regulations, enforcement and dispensation, and relaxation of requirements.
