These Regulations amend the Motor Vehicles (Type Approval for Goods Vehicles) (Great Britain) Regulations 1982 (“the 1982 Regulations”) and together with the Motor Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 1986 (“the Approval Regulations”) establish a statutory scheme for approving the construction of single light goods vehicles before such vehicles are brought into service.

Regulation 4 amends regulation 3 of the 1982 Regulations so as to apply those Regulations to personally imported and amateur-built light goods vehicles, which are classes to which the Approval Regulations apply but which had previously been excluded from the application of the 1982 Regulations, thus providing the option for such vehicles either to be type approved in accordance with the 1982 Regulations or to be given single vehicle approval in accordance with the Approval Regulations.

Regulation 5 inserts a new regulation 3A into the 1982 Regulations so as to modify those Regulations in relation to light goods vehicles to which the Approval Regulations apply. Regulation 7 inserts a new regulation 18A into the 1982 Regulations specifying, pursuant to section 63(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, 1st July 1997 as the appointed day for the purposes of that section from which the prescribed type approval requirements must be complied with in relation to such vehicles.

Regulations 3, 6 and 8 of these Regulations make minor consequential amendments to regulations 2 (interpretation) 4 (application of type approval requirements) and 19 (issue of licences) of the 1982 Regulations.

These Regulations have been notified to the European Commission pursuant to Directive 83/189/EEC of 28th March 1983 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations (OJ 1983 L109, p.9) as amended by Council Directive 88/182/EEC of 22nd March 1988 (OJ 1988 L81, p.75) and European Parliament and Council Directive 94/10/EEC of 23rd March 1994 (OJ 1994 L100, p.30).