Making a fireplace chamber larger, building regs required?

[janieJones123]

I live in Northern Ireland, and my wife and I are wanting to remove our current cast iron fireplace, and install a wood burning stove in its place. We also want the opening made larger, by about a foot in height, and about a bricks worth either side.

We have been talking to a local stove supplier and they say that their HETAS registered installers can do this work during the installation of the stove.

I was wondering, will doing this require input from our local planning authority or building regs?

Additionally, the fireplace doesn't go straight up, but rather over to the left, where the fireplace upstairs is, so the chimney breast, fireplace and hearth above isn't diretly above the one we want to open further.

The chimney breast is internal and is at the party wall side with the neighbours (semi-detached)

 

[frutbunn]

If its the same in NI then the contractor can self certify the work for B Regs through HETAS.

"He's in love with rock 'n' roll, woah"

 

[janieJones123]

Thanks @frutbunn , I will try to get the installer to come have a look (if that's possible right now anyway given the latest...), and double check with them that that is the case for NI.