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LABC is the marketing and promotion arm of the DSA (District Surveyors Association) promoting Local Authority Building Control as a fully co-ordinated National organisation.
Full-time staff provide a central point of contact for the many initiatives from their London based office, which include Local Authority National House Type Approval - a fast track route for the approval of standard building design and systems and is operated throughout England and Wales.
Some of their initiatives, which are sponsored by local authorities Nationally, include the Partnership Scheme, the Type Approval Scheme and 'Submit a Plan'; these are briefly described below.
Should you be interested in finding out more details of the services provided visit www.labc.uk.com (opens in a new window).
Submit a plan
Although this initiative is not yet in place in Erewash it is hoped that it soon will be. This will enable plans and applications to be submitted under the building regulations electronically. We will keep you informed of progress.
The Partnership scheme
The scheme offers a single point of contact to a local authority building control Section. No matter where the building work is to take place in the country. The architect or builder forms a Partnership Agreement with a local authority, often through the area in which they operate.
The principal being that an architect can have clients in many different areas of the country and in the past the architect has been required to submit the application to the Local Building Control Authority in which the project is proposed. The partnership scheme now enables the architect to submit an application to a single point of contact no matter where in the country the proposal is.
The application will be submitted in the normal way and these plans will be checked for compliance with the regulations. When these plans are approved the Authority in whose area it is within will be notified and the council in which the scheme is to be built will take over the responsibility by carrying out the site inspections to ensure that the work on site conforms to these requirements.
Type Approval Schemes
A particular design for a house factory shop etc. is sometimes repeatedly built up and down the country. Each time the proposal is brought to another Local Authority in the past the plans would have to be rechecked for compliance with the building regulations.
The Type Approval Scheme aim is to address this. Once a building has achieved type Approval it can be built anywhere in the country without the need for further detailed checks on the design. Thus saving time, and in particular has been recognised by a number of large developers to be of a considerable benefit.
Site Lines
An informative paper that is produced quarterly, it keeps everyone informed of new initiative view and stories within the Local Authority Building Control Service.
For more information please contact your area Building Control Officer who will be pleased to obtain your copies of the magazine.
Warranties
LABC service provides for a number of insurance warranties for numerous aspects of the building industry as follows:- LABC New Homes Warranty
It provides a policy to cover latent defects in design construction or materials on any new or substantially refurbished commercial property, providing that property is inspected by Local Authority Building Control Officers.
Contaminated land
This product will offer owners of contaminated or potentially contaminated land insurance to cover the cost of rectification work that may be required.
LABC Services/Federation of Master Builders Masterbond Warranty
This scheme works in association with Local Authority Building Control and Master Bond Warranty insurers (underwritten by Allianz Cornhill plc). It protects the home owner against many things that can go wrong, when undertaking building work.
This warranty offered by the Federation of Master Builders will ensure domestic extensions, refurbishment's and improvements against faulty workmanship, materials or structural defects.
For more details contact free phone 0800 965765 for further information or the Area Building Control Surveyor.
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