If you intend to install a new mezzanine floor into your workspace you may be required to seek planning permission or permission in the form of Building Approval Regulation. The following key information will allow you to proceed with your design allowing for any regulations.
If you are wishing to install a new mezzanine floor into your workspace, you may have to seek planning permission from the local authority in order for it to be approved. The permission will come in the form of Building Approval Regulation. They outline the specific cases in which planning permission may be required. As, for a mezzanine floor it is statutory to get building regulation approval, but it depends on the specific cases which are outlined below.
WHEN PLANNING PERMISSION MAY BE NEEDED
In most cases, no formal permission needs to be sought out before erecting a mezzanine floor. This permission comes in the form of Building Regulation Approval. In some scenarios planning permission is needed. For example, the Building Approval Regulation states that planning permission will be needed in certain individual cases. These can include when the mezzanine floor is going to be used for office space. The mezzanine floor is going to require external alterations to the existing building in order to accommodate this new space. Furthermore, planning permission is needed for mezzanine floors whereby the new construction is going to increases the site floor area beyond the permission that had first been granted.
However, prior to this, there are some other building regulations need to be checked and followed before you begin construction.
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MEZZANINE BUILDING REGULATIONS?
The Building Regulations 2010 supersedes the Building Regulations 2000 and states:
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The procedural regulations that indicate which building work requires permission, and how to obtain permission,
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The technical standards that the building work should achieve.
The Building Regulations 2010 are to promote health and safety by providing a standard of work and the requirements for new buildings, designs and construction projects in order to make sure everything that is getting built meets the construction and safety standards. Within the Building Regulations 2010, ‘Raised Storage Areas’ aka, mezzanine floors, are mentioned in the regulations, thus you have to be aware of the special circumstances outlined in the Building Regulations in order to see if you will need local authority planning permission.
WHICH PARTS OF THE BUILDING REGULATIONS APPLY TO MEZZANINE FLOORS?
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Structural Safety (Part A)
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Fire Safety (Part B)
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Protection from Falling (Part K)
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Access to and Use of Buildings (Part M)
For more information on The Building Regulations 2010, please visit these useful websites: www.labc.uk.com and www.planningportal.gov.uk.
HOW TO GET BUILDING REGULATION APPROVAL FOR A MEZZANINE FLOOR?
Before you can begin construction, you will need to apply for approval directly with your local council or an independent inspector. They will provide a full appraisal of the design and either allow or deny permission to build, based on their findings. After construction, the inspector will return to confirm if the construction has met the required standards.