Building work regarded as commenced notice

Regulation 16 (3C) requires that anyone who must submit a building notice or full plans application under regulation 12 must notify the local authority that the work has reached a stage where it can be regarded as commenced.

They must do this no more than 5 working days after the day on which the work is to be regarded as commenced.

How to give commenced notice

Fill in our online form to give commenced notice.

Give notice about building work regarded as commenced

If you can't use our online form, fill in the document below and email it to building.control@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.

If your notice is rejected

In line with regulation 16 (3E), we may reject the notice if we consider the work cannot be regarded as commenced. That is, the work does not appear to have reached one or more of the stages mentioned in regulation 46A - 2, 3 or 4. 

If we reject your notice, we will send you a rejection notice explaining why. 

If you don't get a rejection notice from us within 4 weeks from the date you sent your notice, consider your work as being commenced.

If your notice is rejected, you cannot submit another notice unless you have addressed the reasons we have explained in our rejection. 

We may take steps to check whether the work is to be regarded as commenced, which could include:

• requiring information
• laying open of work for inspection

Start of work notice

Under regulation 16 (1), you must give start of work notice. This is the first form that needs to be filled in, before starting any works.

A start of work notice is not the same as work regarded as commenced notice. A work regarded as commenced notice is important as it tells us when the work has reached a stage at which all, or part, of the work can be protected from the application being considered to have lapsed. For more details about the lapse of building control, read regulation 46A. 

Examples

Here are examples of the difference between 'start of work' and 'work regarded as commenced'. Make sure you refer to all the meanings given in regulation 46A. 

Start of work example

The construction of a new building or an extension, when strip or pad foundations have been excavated or piles installed.

Work regarded as commenced examples

A large building that shares its foundation with others, when the foundations supporting it and the structure of its lowest floor are completed. This excludes any other buildings or structures to be supported by those foundations.

A small house or an extension to the sides of a house when the following are complete:

• sub-surface structure of the building or the extension
• all foundations
• basement level (if any)
• structure of the ground floor level