HVCA president urges the Government to enforce Part L of Building Regulations

HVCA president John Miller has challenged the Government to enforce important changes introduced last year to Part L of the Building Regulations. Speaking at the association’s annual luncheon, he said, ‘Along with many other interests across construction, the HVCA welcomed the Part L revisions, which introduced tighter energy-efficiency requirements for H&V projects in new and existing buildings.’ In particular, there was a broadening of the range of work that must be notified to local-authority building control for inspection and approval and the development of competent-persons schemes that allow suitably qualified contractors to self-certify their work as compliant with the regulations. John Miller expressed concern that ‘despite having put such enlightened and environmentally responsible legislation in place, the Government seems unable, or unwilling, to enforce it’. He added that many HVCA members have reported that not only were building-control departments up and down the country failing to police the regulations, but many were quite deliberately turning a blind eye to the new regime. ‘Our representations on this key issue to the Department for Communities & Local Government have so far gone unrewarded,’ he insisted. ‘Government must put its house in order on an issue that has massive implications not only for engineering services, not only for construction, but — ultimately — for the nation and the planet. ‘Positive action must be taken now,’ he concluded. ‘The new regulations have teeth. Now they must be made to bite.