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Regulations & standards

Recommended link:

info4local
Intended for local authorities, but free to use for everyone else, the Government site provides a quick and easy way to find relevant information on the web sites of central government departments and agencies. Many full text documents are included, and summaries of others.

Here are some selected links you might like to try.

Please note: sites open in a new window.

AcousticRegs.info
Provided by a building product manufacturer, the site contains a lot of details on the requirements of Building Regulations Approved Document Part E for different sorts of buildings.
http://fermacellmarketing.co.uk/acousticregs/

Agencies and Public Bodies
This site provides information about Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), their purpose, history and organisation.
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.asp

Air Tightness Testing and Measurement Association (ATTMA)
ATTMA is a UK professional association dedicated to promoting technical excellence and commercial effectiveness in all air tightness testing and air leakage measurement applications. The site includes information about air tightness testing and its Testing Standard document.
http://www.attma.org/

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private, non-profit organisation that administers and coordinates the US voluntary standardisation and conformity assessment system.
http://www.ansi.org/

ASTA BEAB Certification Services
Global product and systems certification services to manufacturer of electrical products located anywhere in the world.
http://www.uk.intertek-etlsemko.com/en/ppf/page_id/85/about_custom.asp

ASTM International
ASTM International provides technical standards to industry worldwide. As a standards development body, the standards products offered include metals, petroleum, construction, environment and many other related standards, test methods, specifications, and guides.
http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/index.shtml?E+mystore

BOPCRIS
BOPCRIS is the British Official Publications Collaborative Reader Information Service. Use this site to search and browse information from British Official Publications over the period 1688-1995. There are also abstracts, and detailed subject indexing, of key documents. The full-text version of a limited number of these documents is available.
http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/

British Board of Agrement (BBA)
The BBA is partnered with Government, and which has been providing authoritative and independent information on the performance of building products for over 30 years.
http://www.bbacerts.co.uk/

British Standards Institution (BSI)
The British Standards Institution is now the world's leading standards and quality services organisation. Formed in 1901 and incorporated under Royal Charter in 1929, BSI is the oldest national standards- making body in the world.
http://www.bsi-global.com/

BSI British Standards Draft Review System
The Draft Review system gives the public an easy way to access drafts of British Standards (Drafts for Public Comment – DPC) and Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) in order to give feedback before full publication.
http://drafts.bsigroup.com/

BSI ProjectLine
Information on work in progress on British Standards, including all purely National projects, all projects from CEN, CENELEC, ISO and IEC in which BSI/BEC participates.
http://www.bsi-global.com/en/Standards-and-Publications/Current-work/ProjectLine-Search/

CENELEC
CENELEC is the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization. It prepares voluntary electrotechnical standards that help develop the Single European Market/European Economic Area for electrical and electronic goods and services, removing barriers to trade, creating new markets, and cutting compliance costs.
http://www.cenelec.eu/Cenelec/Homepage.htm

Committee of the Regions
The Committee of the Regions is an EU institution with the objective of involving regional and local bodies in shaping Community policies. The site provides general information and full details of what each of the Committee's Commissions are doing.
http://www.cor.europa.eu/pages/HomeTemplate.aspx

Communities and Local Government
The Communities and Local Government has responsibility for local government, social exclusion and neighbourhood renewal, plus responsibility for communities, race, faith, and equalities. The department issues the Approved Documents to the Building Regulations
http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/

Council of Europe
The Council of Europe's official portal, providing a gateway to information from and about it. Available in English and French.
http://www.coe.int/DefaultEN.asp

DCLG Local Government Performance
The DCLG Local Government Performance site provides information on all policy aspects of Best Value in England as well as the Government's best value publications and research. The key facts for all Local Authorities in England are available.
http://www.bvpi.gov.uk/pages/Index.asp

Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR)
The Department brings together functions from the former Department of Trade and Industry, including responsibilities for productivity, business relations, energy, competition and consumers, with the Better Regulation Executive (BRE), previously part of the Cabinet Office.
http://www.berr.gov.uk/

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Includes information on all areas that are DCMS's responsibility, including listed buildings and other aspects of the built heritage.
http://www.culture.gov.uk/

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Includes information on all areas that are DEFRA's responsibility, including the environment, agriculture and sustainable development.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/

Department for Transport
UK government department with responsibility for transport issues.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/

DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V.
DIN is the German Standards Institution; English-language version of the site.
http://www.din.de/

Directgov
Directgov is the latest incarnation of the UK government's attempt to provide a facility to point to all UK government services on the internet. As well as A-Z lists of central and local government departments, there are a considerable number of themed collections of information, making it easier to find what you need.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm

ELGO: European Local Government Database
Pan-European website for identifying the decision makers in Local and Regional Government, including those in Central and Eastern Europe.
http://www.elgo.co.uk/

Environment and Heritage Service of Northern Ireland
Environment and Heritage Service is responsible for the implementation of environmental policy in Northern Ireland. It also manages local Country Parks, countryside access, the Monuments and Buildings Record Belfast, Historic Monuments and events in relation to these. The EHS is also responsible for the protection of wildlife sites, habitats, species, archaeological sites historic monuments buildings, water quality, regulating and controlling pollution, promoting environmental quality, and overseeing waste management.
http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/

EPLabel
EPLabel is a programme to deliver energy certificates based on measured energy consumption for display in public buildings across Europe within a harmonising framework.
http://www.eplabel.org/

EU Official Documents
Full text of treaties, legislation and case law coming from the European Union.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/guide/search/docsearch_en.htm

Eurocode 6: Design of Masonry Structures
Resources to support masonry design and construction to Eurocode 6 (BS EN 1996). Inlucde details on the background to EC6, supporting standards, design examples and FAQs.
http://www.eurocode6.org/

Eurocodes Expert
Eurocodes Expert has been established to help clients, designers, contractors and suppliers understand and use the 10 new European structural design codes. Includes information on the Eurocodes themselves, plus details of training and events.
http://www.eurocodes.co.uk/

Europa
The main gateway to European Union information, with links to the Parliament, the Council, the Commission, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors and other bodies.
http://europa.eu/

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
The Foundation is a tripartite European Union body set up in 1975 to contribute to the planning and establishment of better living and working conditions.
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/

European Union of Agrement (UEAtc)
UEAtc brings together the various approvals bodies throughout Europe to harmonise technical approval.
http://www.ueatc.com/

FISH: Forum on Information Standards in Heritage
FISH provides standards for recording information on the history, heritage or current state of the many thousands of buildings, monuments, archaeological sites, wrecks and chance discoveries that together form the historic environment in the UK and Ireland.
http://www.fish-forum.info/

HM Land Registry
The Land Registry keeps a record of who owns land and property in England and Wales. The site provides information about the Land Registry, explanatory leaflets, application forms etc. and information on the average price of residential property.
http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/

info4local
Intended for local authorities, but free to use for everyone else, the Government site provides a quick and easy way to find relevant information on the web sites of central government departments and agencies. Many full text documents are included, and summaries of others.
http://www.info4local.gov.uk/

International Standards Organization (ISO)
ISO is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 130 countries, one from each country. Includes the catalogue of ISO standards.
http://www.iso.org/iso/home.htm

KPI Zone
KPI Zone is the Construction Benchmarking Gateway for Key performance Indicators (KPIs).
http://www.constructingexcellence.org.uk/zones/kpizone/default.jsp

Land Register Online
Details of individual properties in England and Wales can be obtained from a database of over 18 million registered records. Searching is free but documents cost £2 each to download.
http://www.landregisteronline.gov.uk/

Local Government Association
Provides information on the major issues affecting local government, details of current LGA activities and policies, and provides enhanced distribution of LGA papers.
http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=1

National Assembly for Wales
Includes consultation papers, Welsh legislation, press releases and news relating to Wales.
http://www.wales.gov.uk/index.htm

National Calculation Method
The National Calculation Methodology is the procedure for demonstrating compliance with the Building Regulations for buildings other than dwellings by calculating the annual energy use for a proposed building and comparing it with the energy use of a comparable 'notional' building. The site has a downloadable calculation tool.
http://www.ncm.bre.co.uk/index.jsp

National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC
The NICEIC is an accredited certification body set up to protect users of electricity against the hazards of unsafe and unsound electrical installations. It is the industry's independent electrical safety regulatory body. Includes information for specifiers, contractors and householders.
http://www.niceic.org.uk/

National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
The National Physical Laboratory is the United Kingdom’s national standards laboratory, which acts as the UK authority for physical measurement standards and metrology (the science of measurement).
http://www.npl.co.uk/

National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI)
The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) continuously supports enterprise, trade and consumers through the provision of services in areas of Standards development, legal metrology and Agrément; and provides Certification services.
http://www.nsai.ie/

National Statistics
This site contains the latest comprehensive range of official UK statistics and information about statistics as well providing free access to a selection of recently released publications in downloadable PDF format.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/

NBS Building Regulations
Provided by the official publisher of the Building Regulations Approved Documents, NBS Building Regulations is your single source for all Building Regulations related information. Here, you can access a fully searchable index of the Approved Documents with hyperlinks to the relevant texts of secondary sources and reference material, or you can buy hard copies, access news, guidance and explanatory information.
http://www.thenbs.com/BuildingRegs/

Northern Ireland Assembly
Information on and from the Assembly, including the full text of Northern Irish legislation.
http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/

Office of Government Commerce
OGC has been set up to lead a wide-ranging programme to modernise procurement in government, and deliver substantial value for money improvements. It includes all the information formerly available from the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) and the Property Advisors to the Civil Estate (PACE).
http://www.ogc.gov.uk/

Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)
The Office of Public Sector Information provides online access to UK legislation, licenses the re-use of Crown copyright material, manages the Information Fair Trader Scheme, maintains the Government’s Information Asset Register and provides advice and guidance on official publishing and Crown copyright.
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/

OFFSTATS
OFFSTATS lists web sites offering free and easily accessible social, economic and general data from official or similar "quotable" sources from each country, especially those that provide both current data and time series.
http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/subjects/stats/offstats/

Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey is the UK's national mapping agency. It covers the production, maintenance and marketing of a wide range of maps, computer data and other geographical information for business, leisure, educational and administrative use.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/

Oultwood
Provides an index to local government web sites in the UK, and also in the Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.
http://www.oultwood.com/

Planning, building and the environment: Building Regulations
Communities and Local Government deals with Building Regulations, which ensure the health and safety of people in and around buildings by providing functional requirements for building design and construction. The regulations also promote energy efficiency in buildings and contribute to meeting the needs of disabled people.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/buildingregulations/

Play the Regs
Provided by the NEHR and the Construction Products Association, Play the Regs looks at the impact of the new Part L of the Building Regulations on new-build housing. Enter details such as air permeability and roof U-value to calculate if a dwelling complies with Part L1A.
http://www.playtheregs.com/

Policies of the European Union
Including transport, environment and energy.
http://europa.eu/documents/index_en.htm

Robust Details
Robust Details Limited is a non-profit company started in response to the house-building industry’s need for an alternative to pre-completion sound testing to satisfy Part E of the Building Regulations (England and Wales).
http://www.robustdetails.com/

Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA)
The Scottish Building Standards Agency is an executive agency of the Scottish Executive that undertakes the national functions relating to building standards. The site contains information and documents relating to both the old and new Scottish Building Standards systems.
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/

Scottish Government
Includes news, publications details, and the full text of Scottish legislation.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Home

Sustainable Learning
The site helps schools to comply with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), by calculating their energy performance rating.
http://www.sustainablelearning.info/

UK Office of the European Parliament
The European Parliament's office in the UK exists to provide information to the public, the media, government, regional agencies and the business community about the role and activities of the Parliament itself and the European Union more generally.
http://www.europarl.org.uk/index.htm

Valuation Office Agency (VOA)
The Valuation Office Agency is an executive agency of the Inland Revenue. The site includes information and FAQs on council tax, business rates, etc. and news and publications details.
http://www.voa.gov.uk/

 

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