Part
L Consultation
Giles Willson, GGF Director of Technical Affairs talks
us through the new consultation on Part L just released by CLG.
This consultation is entirely separate from and should not be confused
with the more comprehensive technical review of Part L which is being
undertaken in advance of changes to the Building Regulations that the
Government and Communities and Local Government (CLG) has already signalled
that it intends to make in 2010. We expect separate formal consultation
will take place in early 2009 on the proposals which emerge from the technical
review which is currently being undertaken.
The Approved Document L 2008 consultation is principally to take into
account a number of legislative amendments which have come into effect
recently as a result of amendments made to the Building Regulations 2000
and the Building (Approved Inspectors) Regulations 2000, by the Building
and Approved Inspectors (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/3384).
However CLG also seek to address a number of other issues that have arisen
in recent months, Part L of the Building Regulations namely the judgment
in the High Court in the multi-foil insulation case, a number of errors
in the 2006 Approved Documents which have been brought to their attention,
and CLG proposals to try to make all Approved Documents easier to read
and to use.
The aim of this consultation is to seek views on the proposed new editions
of the Approved Documents L. These proposed 2008 editions would replace
those which came into effect in April 2006.
The consultation comprises three parts and covers:
• The ways in which CLG propose to amend the Approved Documents in
light of legislative changes made to the Building Regulations 2000 and
the Building (Approved Inspectors) Regulations 2000, by the Building and
Approved Inspectors (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/3384). Those
Regulations amended the provisions for commissioning, self-certification
and notifiable work. This part of the consultation also identifies corrections
which it is intended to make to the Approved Documents so as to remove
inaccuracies in the 2006 documents which have been brought to the attention
of CLG since the 2006 documents were published.
• The references in the Approved Documents L to BR 443 'Conventions
for U-value calculations' as a document which describes ways of establishing
thermal performance of building elements, and in particular the guidance
contained in paragraph 3.10.2 of BR 443 in relation to multi-foil insulation.
• Proposed improvements to the style of the Approved Documents L
to make them more understandable and useful to a wider audience. This
part of the consultation is aimed at considering the way in which in future
the contents of Approved Documents should be set out. It is proposed that
the Approved Documents that are the subject of this consultation will,
when finalised and published, follow the format of the drafts demonstrated
within the consultation papers.
Please note an Impact Assessment has not been produced to accompany this
consultation because CLG do not currently anticipated that the changes
proposed will have any additional or new cost/benefit impact on either
the private or voluntary sectors that has not already been accounted for
in previous Impact Assessments.
However the need for an Impact Assessment will be reconsidered by CLG
if the responses to this consultation indicate that this may not be the
case.
This consultation will be reviewed by the Glass and Glazing Federation
via its Window and Door Technical Committee (SC15), any members wishing
to participate with this work should contact Micky Sulston at the Federation.
This consultation document will also be reviewed by the Fenestration Industry
Thermal Performance Working Party who are currently involved with the
review of Approved Document L for 2010 and 2013. Anybody wishing to be
involved with this group should contact either the Secretary for this
Industry group - Giles Willson at the Glass and Glazing Federation by
E mail gwillson@ggf.org.uk or
contact their own Trade Association.
Readers should be aware that this consultation runs until 9th September,
when all replies need to be returned to CLG. A copy of the full consultation
documents are available from the following web site:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/partlconsultation
