Most people planning a new kitchen or bathroom wonder at some point whether they need permission from the council. For most projects the answer is no, but there are specific parts of the work where the rules apply, and it is worth knowing which before you settle on a design.
This guide covers England, which includes all of Norfolk. The rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Building Regulations And Planning Permission Are Different Things
The two are often confused, but they answer different questions.
Planning permission is about what gets built and how it affects the surrounding area, such as extensions or changes to the outside of a building. A planning application for installing a kitchen or bathroom is generally not required unless it is part of a house extension.
Building regulations are about how the work is done, so that it is safe, structurally sound, properly drained and properly ventilated. They can apply to internal work that needs no planning permission at all.
So an internal kitchen or bathroom project can need neither, or building regulations approval without planning permission.
When You Usually Do Not Need Approval
Refitting a kitchen or bathroom with new units and fittings does not generally need building regulations approval.
That covers most like-for-like projects: replacing the units, worktops, sink, suite, tiling and flooring, with the plumbing and electrics staying broadly where they are.
It does not mean anything goes. All electrical work still has to be designed, installed, inspected and tested to the national wiring standard, BS 7671, whether or not it needs to be notified.
When You Might Need Approval
Approval becomes relevant when the work goes beyond a straightforward refit. These are the areas that matter.
Electrical Work
In England, three kinds of electrical work in a home are notifiable under building regulations:
- installing a new or replacement consumer unit, often called a fuse box
- installing a complete new circuit connected to the consumer unit
- alteration work in and around a bath or shower
All other electrical work is non-notifiable.
In practice, much of the electrical work in a kitchen refit is non-notifiable. The exception to watch for is a new electric oven or induction hob that needs its own new circuit, which is notifiable. In a bathroom, altering the electrics in and around the bath or shower is notifiable in its own right.
For non-notifiable work, a qualified electrician should give you a Minor Works Certificate confirming the work has been tested and is safe.
Plumbing And Drainage
Drainage work that forms part of a refit may require approval. This is most likely where fittings move and need new waste connections, such as relocating a WC, which depends on where the soil pipe runs, or moving a kitchen sink to an island.
GOV.UK also lists installing a bathroom that will involve plumbing among the work that may need approval.
A Kitchen Or Bathroom Where There Was Not One Before
If a bathroom or kitchen is to be provided in a room where there was not one before, building regulations approval is likely to be required. Turning a bedroom into an en-suite, or a box room into a shower room, are typical examples.
Ventilation
Any new kitchen, bathroom, shower room, utility room or toilet should have a means of extract ventilation to reduce condensation and remove smells.
If you are refurbishing an existing kitchen or bathroom, any existing extract ventilation must be kept or replaced. Where there is no existing ventilation, you do not have to add it, although in a bathroom in particular it is usually worth doing.
Structural Changes
Removing or altering a load-bearing wall, for example to open a kitchen into a dining room, is structural work and needs building regulations approval. New internal walls also need care so they do not make other things worse, such as ventilation in the rooms around them.
At A Glance
| Work | Usually needs approval? |
|---|---|
| Replacing units, worktops, suite, tiles and flooring in the same layout | Not generally |
| Replacing sockets, switches or light fittings in a kitchen | Not notifiable, but must meet BS 7671 |
| A new circuit, for example for an induction hob or electric oven | Yes, notifiable |
| A new or replacement consumer unit | Yes, notifiable |
| Altering electrics in and around a bath or shower | Yes, notifiable |
| Moving a WC or adding new drainage | May need approval |
| A new kitchen or bathroom in a room that did not have one | Likely |
| Removing a load-bearing wall | Yes |
| Existing extract ventilation during a refurbishment | Must be kept or replaced |
Who Deals With The Paperwork?
There are two ways controlled work gets signed off.
Through a competent person scheme. Tradespeople registered with a competent person scheme can self-certify that their work complies with building regulations. If you use someone registered with one of these schemes, you do not need to get approval yourself.
Through building control. Otherwise the work is checked by a building control body, which can be your local council’s building control team or a private registered building control approver.
Either way, you should end up with certificates showing the work complies.
Why It Matters
It is easy to see approval as red tape, but skipping it has real consequences.
The person doing the work can be prosecuted and fined if it does not comply, and the local building control body can make you pay to put faulty work right. The problem most homeowners actually run into comes later, though: without approval you will not have the certificates of compliance you may need when you come to sell your home.
Listed Buildings
Many older properties across Norwich and Norfolk are listed. If yours is, speak to your local planning authority before any work starts. Listed building consent can apply to internal changes that would need no permission at all in an unlisted house.
Questions Worth Asking Before Work Starts
Whoever carries out your kitchen or bathroom, it is worth asking:
- Does any part of this work need building regulations approval or notification?
- Who will notify building control, or self-certify the work?
- Are the electricians and plumbers registered with a competent person scheme?
- Which certificates will I receive when the work is finished?
- Does anything about my property, such as its age or a listing, change what is needed?
A reputable company will answer these without hesitation, and the answers should be settled before work begins rather than after.
Planning Your Project
The simplest way to avoid surprises is to have these questions answered at survey stage, before the design is fixed. At Refined Interior Finishes, kitchen and bathroom projects across Norwich and Norfolk are planned as one managed process, and anything that affects approvals is raised at survey rather than discovered halfway through.
You can find out more on our kitchen installations and bathroom installations pages. For the timing side, see our guides to how long a kitchen renovation takes and how long a bathroom renovation takes.
If you are planning a kitchen or bathroom in Norwich or the surrounding area, get in touch to arrange a survey.
This guide summarises official guidance for England and is not legal advice. Rules can change and local requirements may apply, so check with your local council’s building control team if you are unsure.