Part L review “must not be brought forward”

The Modern Masonry Alliance has hit out at Government plans to bring the planned 2013 review of Part L of the Building Regulations forward a year.

Mike Leonard, director of the Modern Masonry Alliance, warned that the move would burden the industry with unnecessary costs.

He said: “We challenged the government as far back as May that the current planned revisions to Part L should be delayed by 6 months. We now have only a few weeks to go and we still await a reply and we still do not have robust SAP software or an Accredited Details Scheme. The stated intention is for industry to be given a six month period to prepare for change, this protocol has been clearly breached and small house builders, in particular, will be severely disadvantaged.

“To then say that the Government wants to bring the three-year periodic review forward to 2012 is absurd. Particularly when you consider the impact that the Public Spending review is likely to have on an already damaged industry. This sort of statement creates unnecessary uncertainty and could delay projects when all building contractors and manufactures are coming under intense pressure over future workloads.”

Building Regulations minister Andrew Stunell revealed the plans at a parliamentary reception for the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes last week. He said a decision had not been taken yet but civil servants had been instructed to look at the feasibility of advancing the review by a year.

If the October window is missed the Government is likely to opt to introduce regulations on 6 April 2011.