Building Regulations approval and planning permission are different processes. Start with GOV.UK Building Regulations guidance and confirm the correct route with the relevant building control body for your location and project. Earlier fixed fees and universal UK-wide timelines on this page have been removed.
Before making an application
Describe the proposed structural alteration and ask what drawings, calculations and other information are required. Identify the building’s jurisdiction rather than assuming England’s guidance applies throughout the UK. Approved Document A is structural guidance for England.
Coordinate the issued information
Keep the application, engineer’s calculations and fabrication drawings on a consistent revision. If the opening, supports or beam change, ask the designer and building control body how the revision should be handled before it is built. An online calculator printout is not an issued structural design.
Agree inspection and completion arrangements
Ask which stages require notification and what must remain visible. Record who will arrange visits and retain the resulting documentation. Do not conceal work before resolving the agreed inspection requirements. Keep the completion record with the property’s documents.
Check charges and times directly for your application. This article explains preparation, not a legal determination that a specific route or approval will apply.
Structural work requires a chartered structural engineer and the applicable Building Control approval. This educational article has not received an independent engineering review.