Coverage
MEP consultants in Scotland
MEP design across Scotland, to the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and the Technical Handbooks, through a building warrant granted before work starts.
BUILDING CONTROL
The statutory route here
Building work in Scotland is regulated by the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, with the Technical Handbooks giving guidance on compliance. For building services the relevant sections are 2 for fire, 3 for environment, 4 for safety, 6 for energy and 7 for sustainability.
The critical procedural difference from England is the building warrant. A warrant must be applied for and granted by the local authority verifier before work starts, and a completion certificate must be accepted before the building is occupied. There is no equivalent of the English building notice route.
This has a direct effect on programme. The design information needed to obtain a warrant has to exist earlier than the equivalent English project would require, and warrant processing time has to be built into the programme rather than absorbed by it. A design that would be developed during construction in England has to be resolved before construction in Scotland.
HOW WE WORK
SDE is based in Musselburgh, East Lothian, and works throughout Scotland. Warrant applications are prepared with the drawings and calculations the verifier will expect, and queries during processing are answered directly rather than routed through the design team.
AUTHORITIES
Local authorities in this area
QUESTIONS
Common questions
What is a building warrant?
A building warrant is the approval granted by a Scottish local authority verifier under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 that permits construction work to begin. It must be obtained before work starts, and a completion certificate must be accepted before the building is occupied.
How does Scottish building control differ from England?
The main difference is timing. Scotland requires a building warrant to be granted before work starts, whereas England permits work to begin under a building notice in many cases. Scotland also uses the Technical Handbooks rather than the Approved Documents, and the technical requirements differ, particularly on energy and fire.
How long does a building warrant take?
Processing time varies by local authority and by the completeness of the application. A first response is commonly a few weeks, with further time for any queries to be answered and the warrant issued. The practical implication is that warrant time has to be programmed for, not absorbed.