am completly gutting my kitchen which will involve running a new ring main for sockets and appliances and was wondering what prep work on the electrical side I can undertake (if any) bearing in mind current regs.

i.e. is it ok for me to chase walls / cut in socket boxes etc in readiness for the electrician.

basically what am i allowed to do?

a seperate question i have is at what minimum distance above worktops do sockets need to be.

cheers

I believe you _can_ do all the wiring yourself under part P, just as long as you notify Building Control/

I've yet to work out what the procedure is but one web site suggests the fee is around £199 (based on floor area of all things).

What I don't know is... Will Building Control require third party testing? In which case getting an electrician in to do the whole job might be cheaper in some cases.

If anyone knows of a web site that explains what a DIYer must do if they choose the Building Control route please let us know.

Looks like I have my answer for DIYers.  If you want to do "notifiable work" that now comes under Part P yourself (Example: install low voltage downlights in your living room or put a new ring main in your kitchen)  then according to one council web site it will cost £200....

http://www.stockton.gov.uk/citizenservices/buildingregulations/build_ctrl/partp/...

Quote:
If you use an electrician or contractor who is not a member of the 'Competent Person Scheme' the Local Authority is required to engage the services of a 'Competent Person' to inspect and certify that the electrical installation is in accordance with BS7671.  A fee of £170.22 plus VAT (£200.00) is payable to the Local Authority to inspect and certify electrical installations.
N.B.  You must notify the Local Authority at the first fix electrical stage, failure to do so will require work to be opened up later to ascertain compliance.
In addition to this work not in accordance with Building Regulations and/or failure to give the correct notices to the Local Authority; are contraventions of the regulations and may make you liable for prosecution and upon summary conviction you may be liable to maximum fines of £5000 per offence; and £50 for every day thereafter each default continues.

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thnx for all the advice.....very helpful