New Building Regulations now in force in England

From 1 October, new Building Regulations came into force in England that require security measures to apply to doors, windows and rooflights in new homes and major refurbishments where an existing building has changed its use.

This part of the Building Regulations is known as Approved Document Q (ADQ) or Part Q (Security: Dwellings) and is significant in that it marks the first time that physical security standards have been included in Building Regulations.

ADQ makes a clear distinction between products and design and follows the ministerial announcement earlier in the year that government plans to separate physical security from design policy.

The new guidelines require physical security products at entrances and other access points to be tested to ensure they meet minimum recognised standards for attack resistance, such as PAS 24, STS 202, LPS 1175 and LPS 2081.

Secured By Design, the national Police crime prevention initiative, has welcomed the new legislation. The initiative provides advice to architects, builders and developers to provide better neighbourhood security and protection for individual properties. Secured by Design also accredits products that meet stringent security standards, which are listed its website for easy reference.

The new Building Regulations mean that obtaining the right products for a specific application takes on even greater importance, given the application may need additional elements relating to their use or an understanding of possible conflicting parts of the Building Regulations, such as fire safety, as outlined in Approved Document B.

It is also important that products have been tested and are fit for purpose. In terms of testing, it is vital that the testing configurations are replicated exactly once installed. Doors and windows, for example, if any one aspect of the specification was modified, such as the locks, handles or fixings, could compromise the product’s security and make the results of the test redundant.

To prevent these types of issues, Secured by Design’s approved product licencing scheme requires member companies manufacturing building products to apply for independent third-party certification, which is the minimum regulatory requirement.

Certification sees the product subjected to initial and on-going audit testing, alongside testing of the manufacturing facility.

Secured by Design has also introduced its National Building Approval (NBA) Scheme to provide support to developers in handling the administrative burden of compliance and to give further detailed guidance where required.

The NBA scheme provides a new framework for carrying out the requirements of ADQ. It streamlines the procurement process by agreeing all aspects of physical security within buildings of a given type before any development or refurbishment project is designed or built, removing the need for time-consuming and costly individual checks.

NBA certification is renewed every three years and is accepted by Local Authority Building Officers and Approved Inspectors. Under the scheme, products and building types can be added or removed at any point during this period, providing the knowledge that all required checks on a product’s compliance and suitability for the specific application will be monitored.

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