This article is from Local Authority Building Control (LABC). LABC represent all local authority building control teams in England and Wales.
In the early spring of 2021 as the country was emerging from post covid lockdown LABC launched their LABC Front Door website. It provides wide ranging advice on building regulation issues and top tips from the expert team at LABC.
The Front Door website is easy to use for consumers and has proved to be a reliable and neutral source of information for construction industry professionals to point their customers to. LABC worked with the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC) when developing the website to make sure the consumer advice was correct and simple to understand. The website is sponsorship and advert free.
Although Front Door focuses on building regulations, many questions submitted are about complex planning issues, permitted development rights or works to Listed Buildings or in Conservation Areas. Front Door has some basic information, but directs homeowners to always seek advice from their local Planning Authority or their architect.
Front Door features a regular blog from construction ‘agony aunt’ Anna Thompson. A Chartered Building Control Surveyor, Anna has many years’ experience at the sharp end of construction as a local authority building control surveyor, trainer and now Head of Engagement at LABC. She receives a regular stream of questions from website readers and her ‘Ask Anna’ column is one of the site’s most read pages – regularly updated with tips and advice on overcoming common domestic construction problems. So far more than 480 questions have been answered and the most popular are published on the website.
In March 2022 – a year after launch – the site had almost 38,000 page views and attracted 16,000 new users. A range of common home improvement issues featured in the most viewed pages – loft conversions, chimneys, garage conversions, bathrooms, and fire regulations for extensions. These issues were also reflected in the most searched items on the site, which also featured insulation and solar panels as consumers looked to reduce home energy consumption and investigate renewable energy solutions.
Open Front Door at https://labcfrontdoor.co.uk/
