Environmental legislation for building design and construction
This article summarises UK environmental legislation relating to buildings design and development. In some cases, there will be alternative legislation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
To help develop this article, click 'Edit this article' above.
Contents |
[edit] Primary Legislation (Acts or Orders)
- Agricultural Land (Removal of Surface Soil and Dirt) Act.
- Building Act February 1984
- Clean Air Act.
- Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act.
- Climate Change Act.
- Draft environment (principles and governance) bill. 2018
- Energy Act.
- Environment Act.
- Environment Bill 2020.
- Environmental Protection Act.
- Flood and Water Management Act.
- Localism Act.
- Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act.
- Protection of Badgers Act.
- Water Act.
- Water Resources Act.
- Wildlife and Countryside Act.
[edit] Secondary Legislation (Regulations)
- Building Regulations.
- Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations.
- Contaminated Land (England) Regulations.
- Control of Asbestos Regulations.
- Control of Noise (Codes of Practice for Construction and Open Sites) (England) Order.
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations.
- Controlled Waste Regulations Energy Efficiency (Refrigerators and Freezers) Regulations.
- Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations.
- Energy Related Products Regulations.
- Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations.
- Environmental Protection (Controls on Ozone-Depleting Substances) Regulations.
- Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Regulations.
- Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations.
- Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations.
- Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations.
- Site Waste Management Plan Regulations.
- Town and Country Planning (environmental impact assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations.
- Waste (England and Wales) Regulations.
- Waste Management Licensing Regulations.
- Waste Management (England and Wales) Regulations.
- Volatile Organic Compounds in Paints, Varnishes and Vehicle Refinishing Products Regulations.
[edit] Policy
NB this list is not comprehensive and requires further work.
- CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.
- National Planning Policy Framework.
- Zero carbon homes.
- Zero carbon non-domestic buildings.
- National Waste Management Plan for England.
- Green deal.
- Renewable Heat Incentive.
- Feed-In Tariff scheme (FIT).
- Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT).
- Environment offences: Definitive guideline.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- BREEAM.
- Code for Sustainable Homes.
- CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.
- Clean Air Act.
- Emission rates.
- Energy Performance Certificates.
- Energy Related Products Regulations.
- Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme ESOS.
- Energy targets.
- Environmental Impact Assessment.
- Environmental regulators.
- Environment offences: Definitive guideline.
- Flood and Water Management Act.
- Green corridor.
- Green deal.
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
- Localism Act.
- National Planning Policy Framework.
- Statutory authorities.
- Statutory obligations.
- Sustainability.
- Sustainable development toolkit.
- Sustainable materials.
- Zero carbon homes.
- Zero carbon non-domestic buildings.
[edit] External references
Featured articles and news
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.
The changed R&D tax landscape for Architects
Specialist gives a recap on tax changes for Research and Development, via the ACA newsletter.
Structured product data as a competitive advantage
NBS explain why accessible product data that works across digital systems is key.
Welsh retrofit workforce assessment
Welsh Government report confirms Wales faces major electrical skills shortage, warns ECA.
A now architectural practice looks back at its concept project for a sustainable oceanic settlement 25 years on.
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
Government report and back track on copyright opt out for AI training but no clear preferred alternative as yet.
Embedding AI tools into architectural education
Beyond the render: LMU share how student led research is shaping the future of visualisation workflows.
Why document control still fails UK construction projects
A Chartered Quantity Surveyor explains what needs to change and how.
Inspiration for a new 2026 wave of Irish construction professionals.
New planning reforms and Warm Homes Bill
Take centre stage at UK Construction Week London.
A brief run down of changes intentions from April in an onwards.
Reslating an ancient water mill
A rare opportunity to record, study and repair early vernacular roofs.
CIOB Apprentice of the Year 2025/26
Construction apprentice from Lincoln Mia Owen wins this years title.
Insulation solutions with less waste for a circular economy
Rob Firman, Technical and Specification Manager, Polyfoam XPS explains.
Recycled waste plastic in construction
Hierarchy, prevention to disposal, plastic types and approaches.
UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard V1 published
Free-to-access technical standard to enable robust proof of a decarbonising built environment.























Comments
To start a discussion about this article, click 'Add a comment' above and add your thoughts to this discussion page.