Coverage
MEP consultants in England
MEP consultants across England, from our Newcastle office. Mechanical, electrical and public health design, building surveys and site attendance as required.
BUILDING SERVICES
M&E design and consultancy in England
SDE delivers MEP consultancy across England from our Newcastle office, with design developed by the wider practice and engineers attending site as required. Appointments can cover a survey, a single discipline or coordinated building services design.
Tell us the site location, building use and design stage. We can discuss the surveys, drawings, calculations and coordination needed for your appointment.
PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Project experience in England
Bowburn, County Durham
Bowburn care home
Cramlington, Northumberland
Cramlington crematorium
Gateshead
Dukesway Phase 3, Gateshead
Nationwide
High street banking framework, UK-wide
London
Roehampton Golf Club leisure facility
Southampton
Southampton FC Fan Zone, St Mary's Stadium
BUILDING CONTROL
The statutory route here
Building work in England is regulated by the Building Regulations 2010, with the Approved Documents giving practical guidance on how to comply. For building services the relevant parts are B for fire safety, F for ventilation, G for sanitation and hot water safety, H for drainage, L for conservation of fuel and power, O for overheating, P for electrical safety in dwellings, and S for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Approval is obtained either through the local authority building control department or through a registered building control approver, formerly known as an approved inspector. Unlike Scotland, there is no requirement for approval to be granted before work starts — a building notice route exists — although full plans submission is normal on anything but the smallest project.
Higher-risk buildings are additionally subject to the Building Safety Act 2022 gateway regime administered by the Building Safety Regulator, which does require approval before construction begins.
HOW WE WORK
SDE's English work is run from the Newcastle office at Collingwood Buildings, with engineers attending site at the stages that need it — survey, coordination workshops, witnessing and handover.
Most English projects need fewer visits than people expect. The ones that matter are the ones where being in the building changes the design, and those are worth travelling for from anywhere.
LOCAL COVERAGE
MEP consultants by city
QUESTIONS
Common questions
Do you need Building Regulations approval before starting work in England?
Not in every case. England allows a building notice route where work can begin before approval, although full plans submission is normal on commercial projects. Higher-risk buildings are the exception: the Building Safety Act 2022 gateway regime requires approval from the Building Safety Regulator before construction starts.