ABSTRACT
The earliest, really comprehensive, building control legislation was contained in the Public Health Act of 1845. Historically, there have been a wide variety of forms of building control used to set standards, each with varying degrees of efficacy. The 1985 Building Regulations mentioned were made under powers conferred on the Secretary of State by the Building Act 1984. The local authority has the duty to ensure that, when completed, building work within its area complies with the law as set down in the Building Act and the Building Regulations. The Building Act 1984 introduced a further change with the ruling that an ‘approved person’ could certify to the Building Control Officer that the proposals, or a particular part of the proposals is in compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations. The concept of control by defining standards of performance to be achieved by the building fabric was introduced in the Model By-Laws of 1952.
