And for clarification since the OP doesn't realise ...Building Control and Planning are two entirely separate departments.
Planning is there to control what you can build - basically they are there to stop you building stuff. The planners don't care about foundations and stuff like that - just about what it looks like and where it is.
Building Control is there to make sure that what you build will stay up. Ie, they are concerned with how you build it. BC don't care what it looks like, but they do care about proper foundations and stuff like that - plus these days, whether it's energy efficient, accessible to disabled, and so on.