Removing unused chimney breast - needs regs ?

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We recently bought a house which had the chimney stack removed at some stage many years ago but the chimney breast was left both upstairs and down with decorative fireplaces
I am wondering if it is OK to remove the breast upstairs without building regs, as obviously it no longer has a stack to support..?
I assume the same could be done to the downstairs one at some stage but guess that as this would involve extending joists then this might be a different matter.

Logic tells me it is no problem at all, but I am so out of touch with what is and isn't ok I thought it worth asking you clever folks !

Thanks for any help.

Just to add, the breast is not a part of the outside wall so does not add anything to the structure of the house..
 
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The joists will already be structurally trimmed around the chimney breast so it is largely a case of filling the floor in.

I think the most important thing to consider is whether the chimney breast is located on a party wall or are you detached?
 
Many thanks noseall - the chimney is not on a party wall.

I cannot see any reason why there is anything to do other than remove the brickwork and clear up, but as there seem to be so many people here who know a lot about the regs I thought it worth asking and you have come up trumps for me - much appreciated !
 
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Approved Document A (structure) on its own won't tell you whether or not you need a building regulations application to remove redundant chimney breasts.

The chimney breasts may - or may not - have been allowed for to give lateral stability to the wall they are a part of when the house was built.

If it's an older house, chances are that they probably won't be essential to structural stability and that you will be fine removing them. If it's a fairly new house with egg-crate walls internally and little in the way of solid block walls, that might be a different matter
 
Cheers Tony - the chimney is not connected to any other walls so seems to be non structural or at least not holding anything else up !

Why is it all so complicated ?

The house is a 1930's solid concrete block built place if that makes much difference...
 
Why is it all so complicated ?

It's not, really. Houses have to stand up under the force of gravity, but the other force people often forget about is wind.

Strong winds can put a high, lateral load on a building and the designer has to take this into account. One way is to make sure there are enough stiffening walls inside to resist the force, and chimney breasts are sometimes taken into account as 'stiffeners' because of their size and mass.

But if yours is an older house, it's unlikey the chimney breasts will have been regarded as a vital structural element, and you'll have no probs. removing them.
 
Ggooglein building reulations all the documents are available ofor free the one relating to structure is doc A . as long as you folow the regs you`ll be ok with building control
 
I'm sure he'll enjoy many hours ploughing through that to find what he needs :LOL:
 
tjis comment is borne outof personal exprience of having to build buttressing walls to a pair of 1930`s semis when beth occupiers whent crazy with home improvement trying to outdo each other loft conversions removing and removing structural elements like chimney brastsdividing walls etc. the whole building was in danger of collapse the bco picked up on this when they went for planning department refferred thir application forthe side dormer to building control when the bco made a visit to check the dormer one of those newly qualified uni trained graduates making a name for himeslf in his new job
 

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