I recently moved into a property (in the UK) – it's a 1930's semi which was renovated about 2 years ago. I am wanting to have a water meter fitted – utilities company came to have a look and couldn't find a stopcock in the house. There is a mains stopcock in my front garden which controls the supply to both mine and adjoining neighbours, but nothing we could find in the house. I struggle to believe that i can't turn my water off without disturbing next door – is it a legal requirement or building regs requirement to have an individual stopcock in each property?
Is it a legal requirement / building regulation to have a stopcock within a property
building-regulations
Related Solutions
Planning Permission determines whether you are allowed to make the change. The DirectGov site has information about when you need to apply. You need planning permission before you start building - ideally before you hire a builder. You will need architects plans to obtain permission.
It is possible to get planning permission retrospectively, but don't rely on this. If you fail you will have to demolish your extension/building and restore the site.
Building Regulations determine whether what you have built is legal (safety, insulation etc.). There's some information on the Government's Communities site
An inspector will visit your site at regular intervals or by appointment during the build to check that each stage meets the regulations. Work shouldn't start on the next stage until this has happened as you might have to redo aspects which would be a waste of time and money.
Some types/size of building/extension don't need planning permission, but will still need to pass inspection. The exemptions will depend on where you are.
This is probably one of those cases where quoting from the linked pages is a bad idea as these can and do change quite frequently and there may be local regulations which supersede the national ones (Conservation areas for example).
I can't find regulation 3.
Follow this trail from http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/
- Building Policy and Legislation
- Current Legislation
- Building Regulations
- Building Regs Legislation 2010
- The Building Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2214)
- Part 2,
3. Meaning of Building Work
Which leads you to The Building Regulations 2010, No. 2214, PART 2, Regulation 3
Meaning of building work
3.—(1) In these Regulations “building work” means—
(a) the erection or extension of a building;
(b) the provision or extension of a controlled service or fitting in
or in connection with a building;
(c) the material alteration of a building, or a controlled service or
fitting, as mentioned in paragraph (2);
(d) work required by regulation 6 (requirements relating to material
change of use);
(e) the insertion of insulating material into the cavity wall of a
building;
(f) work involving the underpinning of a building;
(g) work required by regulation 22 (requirements relating to a change
of energy status);
(h) work required by regulation 23 (requirements relating to thermal
elements);
(i) work required by regulation 28 (consequential improvements to
energy performance).
(2) An alteration is material for the purposes of these Regulations if
the work, or any part of it, would at any stage result—
(a) in a building or controlled service or fitting not complying with
a relevant requirement where previously it did; or
(b) in a building or controlled service or fitting which before the
work commenced did not comply with a relevant requirement, being
more unsatisfactory in relation to such a requirement.
(3) In paragraph (2) “relevant requirement” means any of the following
applicable requirements of Schedule 1, namely—
Part A (structure)
paragraph B1 (means of warning and escape)
paragraph B3 (internal fire spread—structure)
paragraph B4 (external fire spread)
paragraph B5 (access and facilities for the fire service)
Part M (access to and use of buildings).
Best Answer
If it is a requirement to have independent control of the water supply now then it won't be applied retrospectively unless and until you have some work done on the water supply.
The first thing you should do is arrange with your neighbour a mutually convenient time to fit individual stop cocks. Then when this is done you can then arrange with the water company to fit the water meter.
Having said that, we have a house built in the 1890's that has it's own stop cock so it might be that you just haven't found it yet. Have you checked close to the house?
Another possibility is that the stop cock has been buried in a floor. This was the case in our previous house where the kitchen floor had been relaid and the stop cock - which was just below floor level inside the house - had been partially buried.