The Ultimate Guide to Building Regulations and Conservatories

If you plan to carry out major changes to your property, build an extension or additional buildings, or change the purpose of the building, you will need to think about all of the relevant building regulations and making sure you get building regulations approval. It’s not as complicated as it may first seem. In this blog, we will be explaining the key differences between building regulations and planning permission, as well as why they’re so crucial to you and your home.

Is building regulations approval the same as planning permission?

Whilst both building regulations and planning permission apply to most buildings, their approval isn’t the same thing.

Planning permission is when you apply for permission to build a conservatory or extension with your local council. Planning permission is designed to preserve areas, making sure there isn’t too much buildup or overcrowding and nothing affects the look of the town or village. For example, making sure your extension or conservatory fits in with the look of the surrounding area or doesn’t impose too much on your neighbours. It essentially aims to control how a town, village or city develops.

Building regulations, on the other hand, are a set of rules for building created by the government. All building work must follow building regulations, both in the planning phase and during the construction of the building. The purpose of building regulations is to ensure maximum health and safety, and welfare for individuals using the buildings. On top of this, they also relate to energy efficiency, sustainability, and environmentally-friendly best practices.

When you’re replacing the roof of your conservatory with a solid slate or tiled roof, it’s unlikely that you’ll need to apply for planning permission, but you will need to obtain building regulations approval. This ensures that your plans fit health and safety regulations, energy efficient, sustainable and environmentally-friendly.

Why do I need building regulations approval for a new conservatory roof?

When building a new conservatory, it doesn’t require building regulations approval if a certain criteria is met. These essentially ensure that it’s classified as a conservatory and not just an extension. These criteria include; it must be less than 30 square metres, ground level, separated from the rest of the home by external quality doors or windows, and the roof of the conservatory must be at least 75% transparent or translucent (see-through).

When replacing your conservatory roof, it’s likely that you’ll choose a solid slate or tiled roof replacement for their thermal and energy efficiency, glare reduction, and the improved look. Whilst you do have all of those benefits, it does, however, mean that less than 75% of the roof will be transparent, so the replacement will require building regulations approval.