What does the election mean for Part L changes?

In this series of articles, we aim to answer some of your questions about the upcoming changes to Approved Documents L and F, SAP methodology and the Future Homes Standard.

Current proposals suggest these regulations will be coming into force in England from October 2020. Contact us with your own questions about the regulation changes, or to discuss our training seminars and workshops.

Does the election mean the regs changes are cancelled?

The Future Homes Standard consultation will run its course, and the new Government (when formed) will act based on public feedback and their own views. Other proposals could face delays and changes, although cancellations are very unlikely.

We keep hearing from political commentators in the news, talking about how we’re in unprecedented times. It seems the deadlock in Westminster and the impending election has now spilt directly into our world; bringing confusion and possible delays to the long-awaited changes to our building regulations.

This is how we believe the following months are going to pan out…

The Future Homes Standard is open for public consultation until February 7^th. This includes proposed changes to Approved Documents L1a (energy efficiency for new dwellings) and F (ventilation and air quality).

It is unusual for a public consultation to be ongoing whilst Parliament dissolves and an election takes place, however as the consultation was launched prior to the election being agreed, it will be allowed to run its course.

This means you can continue to have your say on the proposed changes to AD L1a, AD F and the Future Homes Standard’s plan for 2025.

The unknown element kicks in from mid-December. Who will be in power to take delivery of the public consultation feedback, and what is their policy on low energy construction? We’ll be reviewing political party manifestos over the coming weeks to try to answer this question.

Another issue this snap election has created is what happens to other consultations that were due to be released by the end of the year?

We were expecting more information about AD L1b (energy efficiency in renovations and extensions), AD L2 (energy efficiency in non-residential buildings), the new Household Affordability target and a new overheating section of Building Regulations.

It is incredibly unlikely that the Government department in charge of building regulations (MHCLG) will release any new policy changes in the run-up to a general election. Even building regulations aren’t exempt from further restrictions.

This means unreleased consultations will have to wait for the new Government to get settled before they are published. There’s every chance a new party could delay announcing changes until they’ve had a chance to re-write the proposals in line with their own commitments.

We’re keeping a close eye on developments and will add more articles as details are confirmed.