Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and Guidance Document Section 5

On 1st May 2005 a new building standards system will come into force in Scotland. The present Building (Scotland) Act 1959 has been replaced with the Building (Scotland) Act 2003. The Act gives Scottish Ministers the power to make building regulations, procedural regulations, fees regulations and other supporting legislation needed to provide a modern, flexible and responsive building standards system. Further information is available from the Scottish Building Standards Agency www.sbsa.gov.uk.

The Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, Section 5 of Schedule 5 states that:

Every building must be designed and constructed in such a way that each wall and floor separating one dwelling from another, or one dwelling from another part of the building, or one dwelling from a building other than a dwelling, will limit the transmission of noise to the dwelling to a level that will not threaten the health of the occupants of the dwelling or inconvenience them in the course of normal domestic activities provided the source noise is not in excess of that from normal domestic activities.

Guidance Document Section 5 replaces the Technical Standard Part H. Previously it was only possible to satisfy the Regulations by compliance with Technical Standards. The technical recommendations given in the guidance document are very similar to those in the technical standard. Where necessary the updating of detailed issues and the introduction of additional advice and explanation has been included, but there has been relatively little change in the technical specifications.