Building Control Approval on Epsom Loft Conversion Project

If you're planning a home renovation, extension, or even a new build, you're likely to hear terms like Planning Permission, Building Control, and Construction Drawings thrown around. But what do they actually mean? And how do they all fit together?

At AIR Arquitectos, we know that starting a construction project can feel overwhelming—especially if it's your first time. That's why we want to take you behind the scenes of one of our current projects, Melton Place, to show you exactly what happens between that first design idea and breaking ground on site.

This is a real project, designed for a London homeowner looking to extend and upgrade their property. It’s now officially moving into the construction phase—but getting there required several key milestones, including one we just celebrated: Building Control Approval.

Step 1: From Idea to Concept

Every project starts with a vision. At Melton Place, the homeowners knew they needed more space and wanted a design that brought light, flow, and a touch of modernity to their family home.

Our job at this stage was to transform those ideas into architectural concepts—designs that balanced the client’s preferences with the practicalities of their site and the surrounding neighbourhood. This includes checking what’s possible under local rules, preparing initial drawings, and ensuring that the proposal respects planning policies.

Step 2: Navigating Planning Rules

In many cases, you'll need Planning Permission from the local council. This is different from Building Control—planning focuses more on how your design looks and how it fits into the local environment.

For Melton Place, we submitted a tailored planning application that addressed the site’s constraints, local context, and the homeowners' goals. Once approved, we could move on to the technical side of things.

Step 3: The Importance of Building Control

This is where things get real.

Building Control Approval is a completely separate process from Planning Permission. While planning is about appearance and neighbourhood impact, Building Control focuses on safety, energy efficiency, accessibility, and structural integrity.

In simple terms: it ensures that what you want to build is legal and safe to construct.

To gain approval, we prepared a detailed package of documents showing how the structure will be built—from the foundations to the roof, from insulation values to fire safety measures.

This is also where construction drawings become crucial. These are precise technical drawings that demonstrate how the design will be built and that it complies with current building regulations. Without them, you can’t get Building Control sign-off—and without that, you can’t legally start building.

In the case of Melton Place, our carefully prepared construction drawings and close collaboration with structural consultants ensured that the project passed Building Control review with no delays or requested changes.