The new regulations which were published in December 1991 will not come into effect until 1 June 1992. This interim period will allow those persons concerned with their use to familiarise themselves with the regulations and related technical guidance documents.
My Department have been active on a number of fronts in promoting awareness of the building regulations. A range of public and private bodies — including those involved with the construction industry — have been advised of the making of the regulations and were requested to become conversant with their requirements before 1 June next. Secondly, a series of regional seminars for local authority officials has been organised in conjunction with the Institute of Public Administration so that building control authorities will be ready to discharge their statutory functions and responsibilities. These seminars will be held in the coming weeks. Finally, my Department are participating fully with a number of professional bodies and educational establishments in programmes of seminars and courses, the purpose of which is to disseminate information on the various aspects of building control legislation.
In regard to buildings of special historic or cultural importance, I should point out that the building regulations will not normally apply to existing buildings, although extensions to such buildings must comply with the regulations. Where certain alterations or changes of use of existing buildings occur, the regulations may have partial effect, depending on the circumstances of the individual case. However, the requirements of the new building regulations have been drafted in a simple, functional format and this should allow a measure of flexibility for designers and constructors in devising solutions to meet these requirements.
The Building Control Act, 1990, allows building control authorities to dispense or relax the requirements of the building regulations if they think this is reasonable in a particular case. However, in view of the functional nature of the regulations, I think it is unlikely that resort to this mechanism will be required in many instances.
Taking everything together, I am satisfied that the new regulations will not unduly restrict the sensitive redevelopment of buildings of particular historic or cultural significance.
