The offices of Louth County Council
From next month, there will be changes to the way in which Local Authorities – including Louth County Council – will exercise their role as building control authorities. As part of a wider reform package, a new on-line system for the submission of commencement notices will come into operation.
Bernadette McArdle, Building Control Officer with Louth County Council, gave a presentation to the Council last week about the new system and the changes that it will present for owners/developers and for Councils.
The Building Control Act 1990 places a statutory duty and primary responsibility for compliance with building control and building regulations with the owners, designers and the constructors. The regulations provide administrative and procedural methods and requirements for construction or development in Ireland.
Building regulations are a set of legal requirements for the design and construction of new buildings, extensions and material alterations to and certain changes of use of existing buildings. Building regulations provide for, in relation to buildings, the health, safety and welfare of people, conservation of fuel and energy, and access for people with disabilities.
The Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 states that a Commencement Notice should be applied for online using the Building Control Management System (BCMS). This is the information technology based system hosted by the LGMA (Local Government Management Agency) for all councils nationally and facilitates the electronic administration for building control matters. It the will be available through the website www.localgov.ie.
The aim of the new system is to promote health, safety and welfare in and about buildings; ensure a quality of housing stock; ensure sustainable environmental protection; promote good practice/reform/enforcement; provide consumer confidence/economic recovery and promote time/cost efficiencies for construction permits.
The BCMS will allow building owners to nominate an Assigned Certifier and Builder for the development works. Each party must be registered with the BCMS to fill in or sign their respective parts.
Under the new legislation, S.I 9 of 2014 – Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 a number of forms and information along with the commencement notice must be submitted:
- Certificate of compliance (design), signed by the designer;
- Notice of assignment of person to inspect and certify works (assigned certifier), signed by the building owner;
- Undertaking by assigned certifier, signed by the assigned certifier;
- Notice of assignment of builder, signed by the building owner;
- Undertaking by builder;
- Plans, specifications and particulars which demonstrate how the building or works will comply with all building regulations;
- An inspection plan of a minimum of four stages.
An assigned certifier and the designer must be one of the following -
- A person registered with the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI)
- A person registered with the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland (SCSI)
- A Chartered Engineer of Engineers Ireland (EI)
On completion of the works, a Certificate of Compliance on Completion is required to be submitted to the building control authority. The Certificate is signed by the Assigned Certifier and the Builder and accompanied by tables of plans, calculations, specifications, ancillary certificates and so on. This confirms that the building or works have been carried out in accordance with the building regulations.
The Certificate of Compliance on Completion must be entered onto the Register before a building, or works, or part thereof can be opened, operated or occupied.
Further information can be obtained at www.localgov.ie, www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/BuildingStandards and www.louthcoco.ie/en/Services/Building_Control/
