The new Parts L and F of the Building Regulations (Conservation of Fuel and Power; Ventilation) come into force in April, but the final documents have yet to be published.

To add insult to injury, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) put out a press release on 22 February, boasting that the transitional arrangements - the time by which you have to get an already-approved project on site - had been slashed from three years to one year in the name of climate change. It had been hoped that the transition period would be more generous because both documents are still only available in draft form.

An ODPM spokesman said that the technical requirements will be unaltered in the final document, which would be published very shortly. The changes would be in the wording for legal reasons and clarification, he added.

But building regs expert Dr Tony Dennison of Butler and Young said because there is a controversial section of part L on consequential improvements, the final wording was important. The implication is that if you build an extension, not only does it have to meet the new regs, but you may be required to upgrade other parts of the house.

Source

Construction Manager

Postscript

The Energy Saving Trust offers free information relating to part L.

Visit www.est.org.uk/housingbuildings or phone 0845 120 77 99