Explanatory note

These Regulations make further amendments to the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1990. Regulation 25 is amended to apply the requirement to provide adequate sanitary facilities to all buildings except school premises, for which provision is made elsewhere. A new Schedule 1 is substituted to clarify the descriptions of some classes of exempted buildings and to expand on the exceptions to certain classes of exempted buildings, principally to ensure that buildings on land which has harmful or dangerous substances within its boundaries remain subject to the Regulations. A new Schedule 2 is substituted to include 2 further categories of fixtures not requiring a warrant, and to clarify the description of some fixtures which may be replaced. Schedule 5 is amended to clarify the rules of measurement of (a) the area of a room and of (b) height and depth (i) of a storey of a building and (ii) in circumstances where the ground is not level. The Regulations amend the definition of “Technical Standards” to allow the substitution of pages dated November 1996 in parts A, B, G, M and P of the Technical Standards. These substitutions reflect the changes made by these Regulations, update the British Standards references in parts B and P and make other minor drafting and updating changes.

The Regulations come into force on 5th November 1996 but do not apply to any construction or change of use of a building where application for warrant was made before that date.

Copies of the Technical Standards supporting the 1990 Regulations as amended are available from Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.