Demolition: notices, asbestos and one contractor

In England, demolishing a building is often permitted development, but with a condition. Before starting, the developer must ask the local planning authority to decide whether it wants to approve the method of demolition and how the site will be restored. The application includes a description of the work and confirmation that a site notice has been put up.

No separate application is needed where the demolition is part of a planning permission for redeveloping the site, which is the usual case when a house is knocked down to build a new one. Other cases need full permission or special consent: buildings in a conservation area, listed buildings, pubs, theatres and live music venues, and buildings left to become unsafe when they could have been repaired.

Permission to demolish does not mean permission to rebuild. If you plan a replacement house, get that permission first. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so check with your council.

Section 80 of the Building Act 1984 requires notice to the local authority before demolishing all or part of a building in England and Wales. Exceptions include small buildings of no more than 1,750 cubic feet measured externally, certain greenhouses, conservatories, sheds and prefabricated garages, and internal demolition in a building that stays occupied.

The person giving notice must send copies to the occupiers of adjoining buildings and to the gas and electricity suppliers. The council then has six weeks to respond with a notice setting conditions, for example on shoring up neighbouring buildings, protecting the public, disconnecting services, removing rubble and making good the site. Work cannot start until the council has served its notice or that period has passed. A competent contractor handles this for you, but the responsibility is yours if nobody does.

Source: planningportal.co.uk

The Health and Safety Executive tells owners to assume asbestos is present in any building built or refurbished before 2000. The law requires asbestos-containing materials to be removed, as far as reasonably practicable, before major refurbishment or demolition.

That is the job of a refurbishment and demolition survey by a competent surveyor. It is intrusive, lifting floors and opening walls, so the building must be empty. Some asbestos can only be removed by a contractor licensed by the HSE. Ask the demolition contractor who will do the survey and who removes what it finds, and make sure the price does not assume there is none.

Source: hse.gov.uk

Demolition falls under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. On a domestic job the client's duties normally pass to the contractor, who needs a construction phase plan before starting. Gas, electricity, water and telecoms connections must be cut off and capped by the network operators, which can take weeks to book, so start early.

On a semi-detached or terraced house, taking down your half exposes the neighbour's party wall to weather and may need support. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies in England and Wales, and the neighbour can appoint a surveyor. Expect questions about dust, noise, working hours and lorry access, and check whether a skip or scaffold on the road needs a licence from the council.

Source: legislation.gov.uk · legislation.gov.uk

Two buildings with the same floor area can cost very different amounts to demolish. The quote should make clear what it includes.

• size, construction (brick, timber, steel, concrete) and number of storeys
• asbestos survey and removal, and any other hazardous waste
• access for machines and lorries, and space to work on the site
• whether foundations, slabs and drains are removed or left
• separation and recycling of waste, and landfill costs
• protection of neighbouring buildings and trees
• who prepares notices and applications

You confirm your phone number and email, and we offer a summary of the job, without your name or contact details, to demolition companies in your area. One company can buy it and pays Offrano for it; you pay nothing. We email you the contractor's name, address and phone number before it sees your details.

No contractor has to buy it, and requests that are not taken are withdrawn after 21 days. You are free to get other quotes and to turn down this one. Offrano verifies that buyers are registered businesses but does not assess their work, so ask for public liability insurance, the waste carrier registration and, where asbestos is involved, the licence details.