黑洞社区

The revised regulations were due to come into force on 1 October, but the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has confirmed that the delay could be up to six months.

Part G deals with sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency. The 黑洞社区 Regulations Approved Document which outlined the proposed changes has already been published. This document will now have to be amended.

An industry source claimed the delay was because of an objection raised by the European Commission. CLG refused to confirm this and the EC was unable to comment before BSD went to press.

But the claim was supported by Geoff Wilkinson, spokesman for the Association of Consultant Approved Inspectors.

He told BSD he was alerted to the delay by contacts at the 黑洞社区 Regulatory Advisory Committee.

Wilkinson suggested the 鈥渟ignificant issue鈥� that led CLG to pull the document was an objection by an EU member state under the Technical Standards Directive.

He said that under the directive, this meant the document was now at a three-month standstill and CLG was prohibited from introducing the revised Approved Document before 2 December.

鈥淭he language from CLG suggests that this is a barrier-to-trade issue,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat would suggest that one or other of the member states feels something within the document will prevent it from trading in the UK.鈥�

Wilkinson said one possible reason for the objection was the new stipulation in the document which called for thermostatic controls on bath taps to keep the water temperature at less than 48C.

鈥淲hen the consultation began, there were a range of options as to how we should control water use,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he view was to go down the route of water limitation via a water calculator method [see news analysis, page 12] rather than by limiting the sale of fittings that didn鈥檛 comply. So if it is down to this issue of thermostatic controls, it鈥檚 very surprising.鈥�

CLG was unable to say when the document would be updated. A spokeswoman said there was no set date as yet, but the short-term aim was to 鈥渞esolve the issues raised and to issue a final Approved Document as far in advance鈥� of the changes coming into force in the six-month window ending in April next year.

Although this leaves designers in a regulatory grey area until the issue is resolved, Wilkinson does not anticipate that the document will be much altered.

He said: 鈥淭he document will most likely go out as originally published, but it does make us wonder what it will in turn mean for the Part L consultation which is currently under way."