Roche to impose stricter building standards

ARCHITECTS, surveyors and other building professions are to be regulated for the first time under a new bill published yesterday by Environment Minister Dick Roche.

The Building Control Bill will also introduce new standards for house building including new fire and disability access codes.

Detailing the new legislation in Dublin yesterday, Mr Roche said it would be seen “in years to come to be one of the most progressive pieces of consumer law to be brought forward in recent decades”.

That view was tempered somewhat by the opposition, who warned that local authorities would be powerless to enforce the proposed laws unless they are allocated more resources.

But Mr Roche said new energy rating scales for houses and commercial buildings contained in the new regulations would “bring long-term cost savings to householders and business and help meet Ireland’s greenhouse gas emission obligations under the Kyoto Protocol”.

According to Government figures, the heating and cooling of buildings accounts for an estimated 45% of energy consumption and of related CO2 emissions making it a crucial part of any strategy to address climate change.

With building activity running at all-time record levels, Mr Roche said it makes sense to strengthen building controls and the statutory regulation of those responsible for designing and constructing Ireland’s housing stock.

Currently many building professions remain completely unregulated, leaving the consumer with little come back in the event of any problems with unqualified professionals.

“The time is long overdue for legislation to protect consumers from unqualified people passing themselves off as qualified building professionals,” said Mr Roche.

Another section of the wide-ranging bill will require commercial buildings and apartments blocks to be certified as being compliant with disability access requirements.

The new legislation was widely welcomed yesterday, although Labour’s Ruairí Quinn warned that it should be passed as soon as possible.

An architect himself, Mr Quinn said the bill would help stamp out “cowboy operators”.

That view was echoed by the Royal Institute of Architects Ireland (RIAI), who said 80% of complaints it received last year related to unqualified practitioners.

Green Party environment spokesman Ciarán Cuffe said the bill was long overdue and welcome.

“However, we want to see higher energy efficiency standards for new homes and buildings.

“We’re concerned that the UK already has much higher building standards for new homes,” he said.