Building Consultancy Customer Charter
Your Premises Our Promises

Developing commercial or residential property in Chester?
...then we can help you!

Congratulations! You've chosen an excellent location for your property development. You can now choose an excellent team to see you through the Building Regulations process....to guaranteed approval!

We provide:

• early (pre-application) talks
• free advice throughout
• dedicated project management
• plans examination
• status reports
• approval (conditional or staged)
• site inspections and reports
• completion certificates
• national approval for scheme (through Lantac)
• full records throughout

LABC Latent Gold Commercial Building Defects Guarantee

• provides simple, affordable insurance against defective design,  workmanship or materials in commercial buildings
• reduces costs and risk in comparison with collateral warranties, providing timely rectification without resorting to lengthy, expensive and uncertain litigation.
• helps make commercial buildings 'risk proof' against latent defects which adds value for current/future purchasers and tenants
• benefits from the unique LABC relationship with Allianz Global Risks which means that no additional surveys on buildings up to £10 million are required and reduced inspections up to £15 million.

Why work with us?

Guaranteed approval - we will ensure your whole scheme meets Building Regulation requirements.

Quick response - we will have an action plan response to your application within 7 days (and an acknowledgement within 48 hours). We will respond to all requests to visit site within 24 hours or less.

Co-ordinated provision - we will play a lead role in pulling together the other agencies who have a key role to play in your scheme (eg. Fire, Highways, Drainage and Planning). As we are Local Authority based, we are uniquely positioned to provide this role.

Named contact - we will dedicate a surveyor to your project, who will provide continuity throughout the programme.

Flexible approach - we will tailor our response to your needs (including payment terms).

Building Regulations management - we will provide a team of qualified professionals who are impartial and whose experience of Building Regulations management is longer and more extensive than any of our commercial competitors.

Local knowledge - our team are fully aware of local site conditions. We have an extensive archive of building plans and documents.

Cost effective - as a Local Authority, our mission is to provide a cost effective and quality service, rather than to make money. Cost effectiveness embodies the whole level of service concept to enable your company to complete a project within the programmed time, without added costs.

We will:

• quote for all services in advance
• keep within quotations
• be flexible over payment terms

Current charges are available on request.

Provide a Quality Service

We operate a Quality System for Building Control:

• Most of our building control officers hold relevant professional qualifications which cover a wide range of disciplines including surveying, structural engineering and fire engineering. They have many years experience and regularly attend training courses to ensure that they are up to date with modern methods of construction. We offer a multi functional service covering structures, fire precautions, services, drainage and where appropriate we will liaise with other council departments.
• We have a progressive approach to new materials and methods of construction and in this way we can help you obtain the best possible value for money. We will consider all new methods and materials, based on our own experience and, if necessary, other expert advice.
• We make maximum use of new technology and we use state of the art software to check engineer's calculations as well as other aspects of the proposed work. We keep extensive records on every property which we deal with so that future owners can plan further works with confidence. This also means that prospective purchasers can ensure that work carried out in the past has been inspected and approved. This information can also be analysed to give prior warning of any potential problems particularly in relation to ground conditions.
• We liaise closely with building control offices in other local authorities to share our experience and exchange knowledge and information on a national level.
• We welcome and encourage customer feedback and have been running a users' focus group for several years.

The Wider Network

We are part of a North West network of 37 Local Authorities, linked nationally throughout England and Wales. As a result we can:

• draw on specialist expertise
• have access to an extensive database
• provide continuity of service ensuring continuous and comprehensive support throughout our partnership.

We will arrange to visit you and/or your design team:

• as soon as you require
• without obligation
• in strictest confidence

Interested?

Contact Details

Building Consultancy

Email - buildingconsultancy@chester.gov.uk

Opening hours - 8.45am - 4.45pm

Phone number - 01244 402161

Fax - 01244 321876

Address - Building Consultancy, Development Directorate, Chester City Council, The Forum, Chester, CH1 2HS