Building control- Balustrade/Handrail in garden

[33goingon64]

Anyone work in building control or have experience of getting sign off on a habdrail/balustrade in the garden? My local council is communicating badly and refusing to answer my query.

The rules about no horizontal supports and needing large enough gap that a child's head doesn't get stuck - it clearly states on government guidelines that these apply where a 5 year old 'may normally use' the building. Our kids are older and we don't have under 5s visiting.

Yet the officer is adamant that these rules apply to us and that 'he's not here to debate rules that have been around for 50 years'.

He also claimed not to be able to read a document I sent as a pdf attachment that can be zoomed in on. So I feel he's possibly not a helpful person to start with.

Is he being a jobsworth or is he right?

I have had a balustrade type railings fitted and only noticed the gap is small, but did not need building control approval, the regulation is open to interpretation but I would agree that a five year old could turn up anytime.

If it's a family dwelling of course it is likely a child might be there.
It's not your personal circumstances that are relevant.

Just do what he wants as a semi/ permanent fix , then as soon as he’s passed it off you can remove it ? In my experience some council bc are real jobsworths .

So why don't they just say everyone has to do this? Instead of specifying:

"In a building that may be used by children under 5 years of age in normal use"

Because these regs don’t apply to e.g. mines, or formula one pit-stops, or other places small children are not plausible? In a normal dwelling… you are never safe from the appearance of an unexpected under-five-year-old.

Stairs are open at the top but there is no regulations to say you have to have a self closing door/ gate on to stop any small children falling down ? So why bother making any balustrade safe when they can easily fall down stairs ?

any responsible parent will put a child gate on , but are not responsible enough to put safety measures in place if they can fall through a balustrade?

most building regs are sensible but some just don’t make sense