The Brew Cabin

About 12 months ago our soil pipe cracked just above the collar and an emergency repair was done putting a new piece of grey PVC pipe into the existing collar in the ground. The existing black cast iron pipe is connected to the new PVC pipe with a jubilee clip.
We're now having a new bathroom and would like to replace the whole soil pipe with black PVC. We've asked our plumber and he has suggested that we may need building regs approval.
When we bought the house there were drain problems and we had the connection to the main drain renewed and 2 new inspection chambers. At that time the collar that the soil pipe connects to was replaced and the old soil pipe simply connected to it.
The replacement would involve removing the existing cast iron pipe and the emergency repair, replacing the whole length with black PVC and then connecting the new toilet to the new pipe with a new connection. The downstairs WC isn't involved as it connects directly to the underground pipes further down the line.
Can anyone advise if we need building regs approval? If we do, we may have to stick with the current situation because of the expense. Thanks

im sure tony will give you a very professional answer to this but if it was me i would just get on with it and bugga the regs man, its not as though you are building a new extension etc so as long as its done in a professional commonsense manner then id just get on with it. these dam regulations change every 5 minutes and it costs the poor end user so much money. The regs man is there to primarily ensure that all building work is done in a safe manner but nowadays its all getting a little bit silly as far as i am concerned. lets see what the boss has to say on it.

It is my understanding that Building Regs approval is not required for replacements to existing isntallations -e ven if these are in different materials. However I would recommend that both the bend into the back of the WC and the base of the stack have inspection patches, even if this is not required by the regulations, as these make any future maintenance so much easier.

Thanks for the advice. We did have building regs inspection when we had the main drain renewed and it was all OK. The existing soil pipe had got moss growing around the joints where I think it is slightly leaking and looks awful with part black, peeling paint and a patch of light grey. I wouldn't be happy with an unprofessional job or unsafe job so hoped I could be my only building regs inspector. Let's hope Tony agrees!

Tony agrees! There's no ned for any form of 'inspection' or 'approval'. All you are doing is replacing an existing system with pipes of a different material. As long as the replacement pipework is an acceptable type, and the work is done professionally, then there's no problem.

I'm not sure what your plumber is waffling on about. Building Regs approval of construction work doesn't really exist. A Building Control Officer will check new construction work for compliance with B.Regs, and a Building Surveyor can check existing constructions for compliance, but neither would normally be involved in the replacement of a SVP (Soil Vent Pipe) which is, to coin a phrase, a bog-standard job for any half-competent plumber or jobbing builder.