Product category:
Building and Site Management
News Release from: LABC | Subject: LABC Partnership Scheme
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 November 2004
Partnering Invaluable To Design
Designers are, more than ever before, needing to rely on advice from LABC at concept design stage and an ever increasing number are gaining this advice through the LABC Partnership Scheme.
The ever increasing rate of change in the building regulations means that designers are, more than ever before, needing to rely on advice from LABC at concept design stage and an ever increasing number are gaining this advice through the LABC Partnership Scheme The LABC Partnership scheme continues to go from strength to strength, with more than 1,700 major developers, contractors, architects, consultants and housebuilders now being partnered with LABC and benefiting from being able to deal with one authority for Building Control approval for projects anywhere in England or Wales
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 30 Apr 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
LABC highlight importance of Building Control
10th annual "Celebrating Construction Awards" provided the perfect setting for LABC Chief Executive Paul Everall to draw attention to the current high political profile of building control.
Applying maths benefits engineering organisation
A new version of the industry-standard solution for applying mathematics to engineering, science and other technical operations delivers organisational benefits.
The scheme gives a Partner Company a one to one relationship with a Partner Authority of their choice for the plan approval aspect of all their construction projects, irrespective of location.
It also provides an effective means of communication between the local authority where the project is to be built (the Inspecting Authority) and the Partner Company.
The Partner Authority provides professional advice to the Partner Company during the design stage after liaison with the Inspecting Authority, whose local knowledge and history of site conditions, which has been gathered over decades, and other valuable, site specific, information can often prove invaluable during the design process.
Further reading
Maths To The Power 9
Unmatched power for a PC based maths package, yet an even friendlier user interface: the latest version of Maple looks set to be enthusiastically received.
Faster And More Exact Hydraulic Cylinder Design
Hydraulic Cylinder design is now faster and more exact with Mathcad.
Announcing A New Maple Professional Toolbox Series
Maple Professional Toolbox Series developed by Maplesoft, the leading provider of high-performance software tools for engineering, science, and mathematics.
The Partner Authority carries out all plan appraisal, bringing a greater degree of consistency to the designer and his client, but checking of the work on site is carried out by the local Inspecting Authority, after briefing by the Partner Authority, to ensure a high level of service and quick response times.
Many LABC partners also consider that they gain benefit from using the LABC partner logo on their proposals and other Company literature.
The Development Team.
Running in parallel with the Partner Authority Scheme, the Inspecting Local Authority can help set up a meeting with the Development Team.
This can include departments such as Planning, Highways, Fire and Environmental Health - in fact any department that will have some involvement in the progress of the project.
The issues under discussion at the Development Team meeting will go wider than building control and the purpose is to establish more integrated corporate working practices which allow local authority departments to work in unison, reducing the scope for giving conflicting advice to developers and eliminating any unnecessary delay.
The other LABC services and products, as summarised below, continue to be developed to add value to the delivery of the LABC service.
Type, System and Product Approval.
The long established LANTAC Type and System Approvals, used by many LABC customers to gain National approval for standard buildings and building designs, has now been expanded with the introduction of Product Approval.
Manufacturers of modular buildings, and other non-traditional forms of construction and products, are, increasingly, benefiting from system approval, which proves to their customers that their products have been fully approved as compliant with building regulations.
Electronic Building Control Applications.
Submit-a-Plan, the complete, web based, building control application and tracking system, launched by LABC last year, and available via the LABC Services Website, is now available from more than 50% of authorities.
Latent Gold.
Latent Gold, the innovative, low cost, simple to arrange, latent defects warranty for new build commercial projects continues to go from strength to strength, with more than £4bn of projects already on cover or under negotiation.
This warranty is available exclusively from LABC because the Underwriter, Allianz Cornhill, Europe's financially strongest insurer, relies on the LABC plan checking and inspections to manage the risk.
Environmental Gold.
Environmental Gold provides all embracing insurance cover against contaminated ground risks for up to 25 years.
Masterbond Warranty.
As a service to domestic customers, LABC are in partnership with the Federation of Master Builders to offer Masterbond, a high quality, but affordable, ten year warranty to cover domestic extension works.
Energy Saving Partnerships.
The LABC Services have now relaunched their energy saving schemes under the Government's Energy Efficiency Commitment.
The first scheme, in conjunction with Powergen, offers cavity wall insulation and loft insulation to private householders at highly discounted rates.
The second scheme provides "match funding" to social landlords who invest in cavity wall or loft insulation to their housing stock.
LABC Hallmark Warranty.
The newest LABC value added product is the LABC Hallmark Housing Warranty, jointly developed by Hallmark Business Solutions Ltd and Local Authority Building Control, which offers developers a product that provides a highly competitive pricing structure plus unique service and personal attention from Hallmark and LABC staff.
Underwritten by Liberty Legal Indemnities the warranties are secured by an A1 listed company with a long and respected history in the business of issuing guarantees.
LABC Hallmark delivers a host of key benefits all designed to smooth the application process, provide first class technical support and, most importantly, give the builder and the house purchaser complete peace of mind.
Early indications suggest that LABC Hallmark has been enthusiastically received and will rapidly develop into a major player in the market place.
Want to know more? To find out more about any of the above LABC initiatives, please call LABC Services, any member of the National Business Development Team (contact details below) or your local Building Control Department.
Alternatively, further information, and much more, is available on the LABC Services Web Site.
• LABC: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Buildingtalk email newsletter
• Buildingtalk Home Page
