Guide

Building regulations and building control in the Cotswolds

Short answer

Building regulations set minimum standards for structure, fire safety, drainage and energy. Extensions, loft and garage conversions and structural changes need approval. You can use your council’s building control team or a registered building control approver. At the end, you should get a completion certificate. Keep it for when you sell.

Updated 15 October 2026 · 2 min read · 9 sources

Planning and building regulations are separate

Planning permission is about how a building looks and how it is used. Building regulations are about how it is built.

GOV.UK says the two are separate, and you might need both. Permitted development does not remove the need for building regulations approval.

Cotswold District Council lists new buildings, extensions, loft conversions and replacement windows as common work that needs approval.

Who does building control

You can use your district council’s building control team, or a private registered building control approver. Approved inspectors became registered building control approvers in April 2024.

A private approver tells the council about your work with an initial notice. Its fee is agreed with you.

Some work can be self-certified by a firm in a competent person scheme. Examples are new windows, boilers and electrical work.

Cotswold District Council: Cirencester, Tetbury, Moreton-in-Marsh, Bourton-on-the-Water, Fairford and Lechlade, Chipping Campden and Stow-on-the-Wold.
Stroud District Council: Stroud and Nailsworth.
West Oxfordshire District Council: Witney, Chipping Norton and Burford.
Tewkesbury Borough Council: Winchcombe.

Full plans or building notice

A full plans application is the thorough route. GOV.UK says to expect a decision within 5 weeks, or 2 months if you agree.

A building notice suits small jobs. Work can start 2 days after you send it, but you get no formal approval before work starts.

For an extension or a loft conversion, full plans give you more certainty. The builder prices from drawings that building control has checked.

Local fees

Cotswold District Council publishes its building control fees. These are its 2026/27 charges, including VAT.

Cotswold District Council building control fees, 2026/27
Work	Full plans	Building notice
Extension up to 20 m²	£595	£660
Extension 20 to 60 m²	£900	£985
Extension 60 to 100 m²	£1,190	£1,320
Loft conversion up to 100 m²	£655	£720
Garage conversion to a habitable room	£345	£380

Fees from the Cotswold District Council schedule dated 20 March 2026, including VAT, checked on 15 October 2026. Other councils and private approvers set their own fees. Sources: Cotswold District Council: Building control fees 2026/27 (PDF, 20 March 2026).

Inspections and the completion certificate

Building control inspects the work at key stages, such as the foundations and the drains. The builder must tell them when each stage is ready.

GOV.UK says you will usually get a completion certificate within 8 weeks of the end of the work, if the work complies.

Without approval, you will not have the certificates you may need to sell. GOV.UK says the person who does the work can be prosecuted and fined, and you can be made to pay to fix faulty work.

Questions

Who applies for building regulations approval, me or the builder?

Either can. GOV.UK says building control can make you pay to fix faulty work, so make sure someone applies. Agree in writing who applies, who pays the fee and who books the inspections.

What is a registered building control approver?

A private building control firm registered with the Building Safety Regulator. Approved inspectors became registered building control approvers in April 2024. You can use one in place of the council.

What if I never got a completion certificate?

Contact the building control body that handled the work. If the work never had approval, ask the council about a regularisation application.