Government launches plans to restructure Ȧ Regulations and building control following Ȧ magazine campaign
The government has launched plans to modernise the Ȧ Regulations, following pressure from the industry, led by Ȧ magazine.
Angela Smith, minister for Ȧ Regulations, this week published The Future of Ȧ Control, outlining how the system can be improved.
Ideas in the paper include:
- Moving away from a piecemeal approach to Ȧ Regulations review and towards a longer fixed-term cycle with planned pauses and a clear indication of future changes
- Providing greater enforcement powers for local authorities to tackle persistent offenders
- Providing simple guidance that helps with specific building work or types of problems
- Finding out how to make sure building control bodies are properly funded into the future.

The news marks a victory for Ȧ, which launched the Reform the Regs campaign last year in response to industry's frustration with the system. The campaign highlighted the fact that building regulations authorties lack a clear vision of the future, have a piecemeal approach to regulatory change and issue over-complex guidance.
Smith said an overhaul of the regulations was essential. She said: “There is a clear case for reform of the building control system. Talks with stakeholders have proved very helpful in giving government a steer on the areas we need to modernise to make as effective and straightforward as it should be.”
Kate Barker, the Bank of England economist, also called for a fundamental review of the Ȧ Regulations in her report on housing supply in 2004.
For a copy of the Future of Ȧ Control, go to
3 Readers' comments