News release

Building Control Promote Local Business' in the Downturn

The building control team have nominated and endorsed 10 local projects/companies for this year's Local Authority Building Control Regional Building Excellence Awards. The awards will be held in Brighton on the 12th June and will feature other completed building projects from across the South East. The awards will help promote local businesses by obtaining independent recognition for exciting, innovative and sustainable projects that will also reflect well on the work carried out by building control.

If you would like to nominate your project for next years awards we would be pleased to hear from you.

The individual categories include:

1. Best Small Domestic Building

2. Best Conversion

3. Best Housing - small developer

4. Best Housing - larger developer

5. Best Social Housing Developer

6. Best Healthcare Building

7. Best Educational Building

8. Best Commercial Building <£1M

9. Best Commercial Building >£1M

10. Best Public Building

11. Best Sustainable / Technical Innovation

12. Best Partnership with a Local Authority

The project must be in the Southampton or Eastleigh area, and must be completed this year. Please forward your entries to building.control@southampton.gov.uk. We will then contact you to determine how best to proceed with your entry.

The new Approved Document will come into effect on the 6th April 2010.

Proposed changes include:

1. Wholesome Water requirements with guidance on the use of captured rain water.

2. Water efficiency guidelines for new dwellings (125L/head/day).

3. Measures to limit the temperature of water delivered at outlets to 48 degress C.

4. Guidance on the design of solar hot water systems.

Further details are available by following the link to the Planning Portal website beneath this page.

Residents and businesses will see better service and value for money from local building control services from 1 April 2008 following a partnership between Southampton and Eastleigh Building Control Services.

The partnership aims to align services across the Southampton and Eastleigh areas to support customers who undertake building work and experience of other authorities show that services delivered in this way will improve significantly resulting in benefits to customers and businesses.

The new partnership will be working with its customers over the coming months to ensure that this service continues to provide excellent services for all people who use it. Neil Ferris, Joint Head of Building Control for the Partnership says "this is an excellent opportunity to work together to improve local authority servcies for local people. Staff are looking forward to delivering effective high quality services over the wider geographical area".

Further information on services can be obtained by accessing the Eastleigh Building Control web page.

A proposed paper, released by the government’s department for building regulations, the DCLG, outlines a target that all new UK housing would be zero carbon by 2016. The paper entitled ‘Building a Greener Future’ proposes changes to the planning policy, draft code for Sustainable Homes and Building Regulations.

A zero carbon home (net over the year) will use renewable or very low carbon energy in addition to high levels of insulation. Energy use for cooking, washing, and electronic entertainment appliances will be taken into account in addition to space heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and hot water.

Interestingly, assessment against carbon cost for new homes is likely to be mandatory from 2008, under The Code for Sustainable Homes, although a specific rating may only be necessary for new homes built by Registered Social Landlords / Housing Corporations.

Building Regulations are likely to be stricter on carbon emissions for everyone by 25% in 2010 and 44% in 2013, in order to meet the zero carbon standards by 2016. For more information visit the links at the bottom of this page.