• Department for Communities and Local Government
• The Building Regulations
• The Approved Documents
• The Stationery Office
• National Local Authority Building control website
• Submit a plan
• British Gypsum
• The British Test Centre
• The FENSA Scheme
• The Association of Noise Consultants
• The UK Accreditation service
• Disability Rights Commission
• Legislation concerning high hedges
• Department for Communities and Local Government Circular
• LABC New Home Warranty

Service Charter:

• Ensure that our staff are polite, helpful, well informed and properly trained.
  
• Be available to help you from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday and provide an answering machine service outside normal working hours for all messages (and inspection requests). All messages left will receive early attention on the next working day.
  
• Arrange for visitors to the office to be seen within 10 minutes of arriving in reception.
  
• Answer your calls within 10 seconds and return your calls within 24 hours if we are unable to provide a satisfactory response immediately.
  
• Acknowledge or reply to your letters in plain English within 10 working days of receipt, and include the name of a contact person in the reply to provide further assistance if required.
  
• Make available publications and guidance documents that are clearly presented, in an easy to read and understand format.
  
• Answer all enquiries about the need for Building Regulation consent within 10 working days of receiving a request for this service.
  
• Monitor performance against our own targets and those set by the Government, and make the results freely available, together with clear explanations where targets were not achieved.
  
• Welcome the opportunity to discuss proposals (in confidence if necessary) before an application is made so as to allow informal decisions to be made on layouts and construction methods etc as early in the design process as possible.
  
• Offer general advice about whether your proposals are likely to be acceptable.
  
• Explain how the Building Regulation fee is calculated and confirm the amount on request.
  
• Ensure that all Full Plan Building Regulation applications receive a decision within 5 weeks of receipt, except where an extension of time has been agreed with you in advance, in which case a decision will be issued within 2 months.
  
• Give notice of any amendments, alterations or additional information required to bring your Full Plans Application up to the standards required by the the Building Regulations within 15 working days of receipt.
  
• Provide every opportunity possible (subject to the time limits above) for the submission of revised information needed prior to a rejection being issued.
  
• Issue conditional approvals (subject to obtaining your prior approval) where only minor alterations to the deposited plans are required.
  
• Accept Building Notice applications (or give notice of the reasons why we are unable to do so) within 5 working days of receipt.
  
• Ensure that all inspection visits requested before 10:30am on any working day are carried out on the same day.
  
• Issue a Completion Certificate for all works carried out in accordance with the Building Regulations within 5 working days of a satisfactory final inspection being carried out.
  
• Endeavour to provide a consistent interpretation of the Building Regulations throughout the Peterborough area, and to liase with adjacent Authorities to harmonise interpretation within the county.
  
• Provide copies of decision notices on request (a charge will be made for this service).
  
• Write to any person making a complaint about building works within 10 working days of it being received to inform them of the action we propose to take or why we feel no action is needed. In addition, where a decision to take enforcement action is made, we will notify them of that decision within 10 working days of it being made.
  
• Provide help and advice to owners where contravention's are found, and offer all reasonable opportunity for the matter to be resolved informally where this is possible. We will however undertake formal enforcement action against owners where the matter cannot be resolved within a reasonable time by other means.
  
• Investigate all potentially dangerous structures within 24 hours of a report being received, and take all actions necessary to protect the safety of the public.
  
• Deal with all notifications received concerning demolitions within 10 working days, and in doing so, have regard to the safety and amenity of those who may be affected by the demolition process