Knocking Part L changes back to 2014 will give joinery businesses time to prepare

A clash of new regulations is going to create a costly and bureaucratic burden on the entire joinery sector, according to the British Woodworking Federation (BWF). It is calling for any implementation of proposed new Building Regulations to be pushed into 2014.

In the first clear example of the impact of the continued delay to the announcement of Part L of the Building Regulations, the BWF is up in arms about the burdens on business that will now be caused if Part L is rushed through at the same time as joinery manufacturing and woodworking firms are dealing with the new Construction Products Regulations (CPR) and requirement for CE marking.

Iain McIlwee, BWF chief executive, said: "The delay has meant that our members are spending time and money getting detailed u-value calculations complete for all relevant joinery products in order to comply with the CPR which comes into force next month. Revised Part L regulations  could mean that all that work may need to be done again.

"We hear there are still many details on Part L still to be clarified, this process is taking too long,  Realistically implementation in 2013 is a non-starter if changes are being made.  It makes far more sense to defer proposed changes until next year. Business needs clarity, certainty and time to prepare."

BWF is currently dealing with unprecedented levels of calls to its technical help desk regarding the introduction of the CPR and has published guidance for members at: www.bwf.org.uk/toolkit/ce-marking