Long-awaited Part L arrives

The revised regulations were laid before parliament on 15 April, the same day that the four Approved Documents supporting the revisions were made available on the ODPM's website.

In technical and carbon performance aims, the final documents adhere quite faithfully to the proposals made under the draft documents published last September. However, Building Control bodies in England and Wales have come together, seeking an urgent review of the government's implementation strategy for Part L, which they say is potentially unworkable and unenforceable.

The Building Control bodies have stressed the importance of a well-planned and orderly transition from the existing to the revised requirements so that the industry has sufficient time to be trained and to gear up. Without this, they predict that achieving compliance on the ground could present an impossible challenge.

The Building Control bodies are now urging Yvette Cooper, the Housing and Planning Minister, to reconsider the transitional arrangements and are requesting a high-level meeting with her and other senior officials to discuss their concerns.

At the time of going to press, the government had still not made an announcement on the timetable for the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive nor how it intends to implement the requirements relating to the inspection of boilers and air conditioning systems.