Demolitions

If you wish to wholly or partly demolish a building you must notify Building Control. We can then make sure there is minimum inconvenience to the public and occupiers of adjacent properties. There are also certain legal requirements which you must satisfy.

What you need to do

If you intend to demolish a building that is 50m3 or more (or part of it) you must give us notice under Section 80 of The Building Act 1984.

• this should be submitted using our application form six weeks prior to demolition and should include a site plan
• you will also need to give notice to services such as gas, water and electricity
• you will need to give written notice to adjoining owners and/or occupiers

Applying for a demolition notice

Section 80 of the Building Act 1984 requires you to give notice. Our form helps you to do this simply:-

Demolition Notice Application Form (PDF Document)

Demolition Notice Application Form (Word document)

Please email it to us.

Once your application has been received we will contact you to arrange payment. See our Miscellaneous Charges (PDF Document) for more information on the charge for this service. Your application will remain invalid until full payment has been received.

Please read our Demolition Notice Guidance Notes (Word Document).

When you submit your application you will need to supply the following documents:

• A Method Statement for the proposed demolition works
• An Asbestos Type 3 Survey report

These are necessary as part of the contractors duties. The Party Wall Act may also apply to the work. You will also need to notify the occupiers of any adjoining properties separately; and also your gas, electricity and water suppliers. Once we receive your application, we will send you a Counter Notice explaining our requirements. This will contain a number of conditions. Please ensure you read these carefully. You should not commence demolition work until you receive the Counter Notice or a period of 6 weeks has expired.

We also send copies to adjoining occupiers and other external agencies. They may have certain requirements and might need to access the site for instance to isolate their services.

Listed buildings and buildings in Conservation Areas

Any alteration of a listed building involving partial or complete demolition will require separate formal listed building consent and planning permission. Unauthorised alteration is illegal and will result in prosecution. The substantial or complete demolition of an unlisted building in a conservation area also requires Conservation Area Consent.

Dealing with asbestos materials

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) should be notified immediately if certain types of asbestos material are found. For more information about dealing with asbestos visit the Health and Safety Executive website. Read the Asbestos Cement Clad Buildings Guidance (PDF document) on the Health and Safety Executive website. Unless the skip operator or contractor is already licensed to transport asbestos based products. A license will be required from the Environment Agency to move any asbestos based material off-site.