Loft conversion

I've been out of it 20 years but in my day (a) the regulations were much simpler - as an Architects Journal columnist recently remarked there was once a time when you could tell whether something complied by looking at it; (b) it was a public service unconstrained by issues of fees, competing with approved inspectors, partnering arrangements which remove the local element; (c) a good few older BCOs came from a trade background and had a wealth of practical knowledge which they passed down; and (d) a lot of us were doing the job for more than money - we were on a mission to get things built and built well. And perhaps we shouldn't have done - but the public service ethos was alive and well - many of us put a time and effort into helping and educating some of our clients: there were more than a few times when on site I would get out my Osma book and draw a little sketch of how some awkward bit of drainage should be done complete with fitting numbers. Of course this was also done from self interest so that when I went back it was right (hopefully).

I do think that attitudes have changed: 25 years ago the Building Control Weekend School drew several hundred delegates, more than a few paying for themselves. More recently a senior BCO said that it was almost impossible to get staff give up weekends for training even if all the costs were being paid.

Finally I think that there is a real danger with ever more complicated regulations that the question becomes 'does it comply?' not 'is it OK (or hopefully better than OK)?'