Building Control general information
Building control general information explains how we can help you, our services and service standards.
How we can help you
- We offer comprehensive, impartial advice and have a wide knowledge of the borough.
- We can let you know if your work needs building regulations approval.
- We can advise you on how to comply with the regulations.
- We'll help you fill in your forms.
- We'll discuss your plans with you before you pay any fees.
- We approve plans.
- We'll inspect work at various stages, depending on the work. When the work is finished, we'll make sure it's safe.
How you can help us
There's a few things that you can do to help us process your application quickly:
- Provide any information that we ask for.
- Make sure that you fill in your application form completely, providing all the information requested.
- If you don't sign the form and enclose your cheque, we'll return your application without processing it.
- State clearly on the form what the planned work is.
- If a reference number has been given to you, please quote this on all correspondence with us, whether it's by telephone, letter or email. It will help us to locate your application quickly and accurately.
- Give us plenty of notice if you need us to carry out an inspection.
Other services we provide
- We offer advice on access and facilities for disabled people.
- We issue licences for special and temporary structures to ensure they are designed, constructed and maintained safely, for example, marquees, flag poles and advertising boards.
- We'll check fire escapes for special one-off events.
- We offer a 24 hour service for reporting dangerous structures. If you notice a building or structure that appears to be in a dangerous condition, or in serious neglect, an engineer will inspect the problem and take the necessary action. If the structure is unsafe, but there is no immediate danger, then the owner will be contacted to make it safe - if they don't, they may face enforcement action.
- Building regulations require that any works take into account energy efficiency - you can download A guide on using environmentally-friendly materials in your home or building.
See skips and highways licences for licences for scaffolding, hoardings, skips and building materials placed on a public road.
Our service standards
We will:
- Send an engineer or surveyor to inspect dangerous structures within two hours of being notified.
- Acknowledge receipt of building notice and full plans applications within two days.
- Issue a decision on full plans within five weeks.
- Aim to carry out site inspections on the following day, or the same day whenever possible.
Fees
Who to contact
Building Control
Phoenix House
10 Wandsworth Road
London
SW8 2LL
Phone: 020 7926 9000
Fax: 020 7926 1155
Email: buildingcontrol@lambeth.gov.uk
Opening hours
The ground floor reception is open between 9.30am and 4.30pm, Monday - Friday, for face to face enquiries or deliveries by hand. Office hours are between 8am and 6pm for general telephone enquiries.
If you would like to speak to a surveyor for technical advice, or to arrange for an inspection, please call between 9.30am - 10.30am or 3.30pm - 5.00pm Monday - Friday.