Building control applications and requests
Overview
For various types of building work you will need permission from the council for safety reasons.
Similarly, if you wish to demolish a building or part of a building, you are required to tell the Council in writing, giving at least six weeks notice.
All physical applications should be sent to:
Building Control South Tyneside
Council Town Hall & Civic Offices,
Westoe Road,
South Shields,
Tyne & Wear,
NE33 2RL
New building works
Full plans
To get formal approval before the work begins, you can submit a full plans application.
Full details covering all aspects of your proposals should be submitted for approval.
Once you have made a full plans submission you may submit a request building work inspection request 48 hours before the work starts.
In some cases we may need to consult the Fire Brigade to make sure that adequate fire precautions measures are provided.
When making a full plans application you should enclose the appropriate fee together with copies of the plans and if appropriate, structural calculations, giving full details of your proposals.
Where the building use is controlled by the Fire Safety Regulatory Reform Order 2005, an additional copy of plans showing fire precautions should be submitted.
If you or your agent disagree with our decision you have the right to appeal to the Department of Communities and Local Government.
The LABC has also provided some Full plans notes and checklist for full plans applications.
Apply for building regulations approval online using the Submit-a-plan service.
If you need to submit your application physically, please print and complete the LABC full plans form.
Building notice
This type of application is mainly intended for small scale domestic alterations.
You may submit a building notice application giving brief details of your proposal, with relevant plans.
Your application, fee and any block plan must all be submitted at least 48 hours before the work begins.
This procedure cannot be used for commercial premises which are subject to the Fire Safety Regulatory Reform Order 2005.
The LABC has also provided some Building notice notes and checklist for buiding notice applications.
Apply for building regulations approval online using the Submit-a-plan service.
If you need to submit your application physically, please print and complete the LABC building notice form.
Regularisation
Where unauthorised building works have been carried out, it may be possible for you to make a retrospective application.
Where the works were started within the preceding 12 months, the application should be in the form of a full plans application.
Where the works were started before that time and on or after 11 November 1985, an application may be made for a regularisation certificate. You can apply for this certificate using the LABC regularisation form.
This should be accompanied by plans detailing the work carried out and the relevant fee.
In each case it is likely that parts of the works will need to be uncovered or exposed in order to check for compliance with the relevant sections of the regulations.
We will advise you further on this point and on any further works which may be required to secure compliance with the regulations following inspections of the works.
Once we are satisfied that the relevant regulations have been complied with we will issue you with a certificate.
The LABC has also provided some Regularisation notes and checklist for building notice applications, as well as some Regularisation requirement information.
Unauthorised works
Commencement and completion of building works
When your application is submitted, you will be provided with an inspection notification framework, stating the notifications we require. This will allow us to inspect the works and minimise the risk of non-compliance with the Building Regulations.
For all types of work, you should initially give us written notice at least two days before you start the work.
From 1st October 2023, you are also required to notify us at the point where work is deemed to have legally began:
- For extensions / new buildings, this is when all substructure work and the ground floor is completed.
- For other type of work, it is when 15% of the work is completed.
When you consider the work complete, you should, within five days, provide us with a completion notice to allow us to inspect the work for any issues before awarding the completion certificate. This notification should take the form of a notice signed by the client, designer and builder confirming that the work has been carried out in compliance with building regulations.
We have provided a copy of the Notice of Completion form.
Scaffolding licence
Anyone erecting a scaffold or hoarding on the highway should be aware of the following requirements:
- It is an offence to erect a scaffold on the highway without the Council's permission
- The Council may grant permission by issuing a licence with or without conditions
- The owner of the scaffold must make sure that it is erected and maintained in line with safety conditions attached to the licence
- A building control surveyor will visit the site and agree the issue of a licence subject to any relevant conditions
See fees and charges for the relevant charge.
There are a few ways to apply for this licence:
Hoarding licence
Anyone erecting a hoarding on the highway should be aware of the following requirements:
- It is an offence to erect a hoarding on the highway, any public path, pavement or road without the Council's permission
- The Council may grant permission by issuing a licence with or without conditions
- The owner of the hoarding must make sure that it is erected and maintained in accordance with safety conditions attached to the licence
- A building control surveyor will visit the site and agree the issue of a licence subject to any relevant conditions
See fees and charges for the relevant charge.
There are a few ways to apply for this licence:
Demolitions
If you wish to demolish a building or part of a building, you are required to tell the Council in writing, giving at least six weeks notice.
A copy of the notice should also be sent to other interested parties, such as the occupier of any adjacent building, and the local water, gas and electricity supply authorities / companies.
We will write to inform you of any works to be carried out to services and adjoining buildings. This is to make sure that:
- gas, electricity and water supplies are made safe
- redundant drains are sealed
- affected buildings are properly supported and weatherproofed
- debris is removed and the site made safe
You can start the demolition if you have received our response to your notice, or the six week period has expired.
If you start before that time, the Council may be obliged to take enforcement action under the Building Act 1984.
See fees and charges for the relevant charge.
Request a building inspection
- Guaranteed same-day site inspections when you contact us before 10am.
- Inspection Notification Framework available for each individual project.
- Qualified building control surveyors who will constantly be looking for cost effective solutions to regulatory challenges and who act with complete impartiality and flexibility.
- Extensive and unrivalled experience of local ground conditions and local issues on every conceivable type of project.
- Inspection of all on-going projects at least every 6 months, regardless of whether a specific request has been received and will notify you (or your builder) if there are any serious problems found in the work.
- Issue of formal completion certificate when your project satisfies building regulation standards.
Request building work inspection