Organising a property demolition

The destruction of a building or property can be a health and safety risk in more ways than you think – so be sure you know exactly how to prepare and carry out the demolition.

Hire a professional for
demolition work

Residential property demolition can be hard work, especially if you are getting the job done all by yourself. Even if you are bringing contractors in to speed up the process a little, this will cost time and money. Demolition isn’t always an option either; sometimes you need to make way for major refurbishments or reconstruction by getting rid of old and dilapidated buildings, or portions that have suffered major fire or storm damage. Plus if the property is deemed structurally unsound and therefore a safety hazard to you and your family and/or colleagues, it’s going to need to be pulled down as soon as possible. Before getting started, there are several important things for you to think about to ensure your demolition runs smoothly, safely and efficiently, without causing damage or disruption to the local neighbourhood; that way you’ll stay in everyone’s good books and get the work done on time.

Under section 80 of the Building Act 1984, anybody who is planning to demolish a private, domestic or residential property must notify the council six weeks in advance with a written request for a Prior Approval Application. You will not, however, require planning permission if:

• You are destroying a previous extension or outbuilding to the property, such as a shed, garage, greenhouse or conservatory, as long as it remains under 50m³ in size.
• The demolition is urgently necessary for the safety of people in the direct vicinity of the building or site.
• You have already automatically obtained permission under some other form of legislation.
• You are demolishing a gate, fence, wall or any other means of enclosure that doesn’t constitute an actual building.
• The land on which the building rests has already been given planning permission by the Local Authority for redevelopment.

If you are planning to demolish a listed building, or the property/structure that needs to come down is in a specific conservation area, you should also get in touch with the council to check where you stand; you may not need planning permission exactly, but something known as Area Consent – which is usually granted subject to the demand that you finish the job without harming the surrounding environment.

You should also be aware that just because you demolish a building does not mean you will automatically have planning permission to replace it; this must be requested separately, after the job is complete. When you write to the council for planning permission, you should be sure to include:

• The address of the property/site and when you plan for the demolition to take place.
• The extent of the demolition and how much of the surrounding land/neighbourhood may be affected.
• The people and/or companies that will be involved in the demolition process.

Before being granted permission, you should also make sure that

• Neighbours and occupiers of adjacent buildings have been notified of when the demolition will take place and what hours you expect to busy – i.e. when the noise might be considered a disturbance.
• The gas, electricity and water supplies to the property have all been terminated and the drainage supply completely and professionally sealed off.

This may sound like an awful lot of planning but remember; it is for the safety and well-being of you and those who are going to be in contact or close to the site. Failure to adhere to many of these regulations could result in legal action being taken against you. Once you believe comprehensive preparation is complete and once the council have granted planning permission, you are ready to get started. You should, however, also be aware that while the demolition is taking place, the council may send a Building Control Surveyor to the site to confirm you are following the rules and guidelines that have been set out, such as:

• Providing adequate shoring, repair and protection of adjacent buildings and neighbours property.
• Keeping noise to a minimum out of specified hours, and clearing away debris and dust regularly to avoid any immediate health problems.
• Making sure no materials or equipment being used obstruct or damage any portion of the pavement, kerb, road or anything deemed council property in the immediate area; or cause any traffic-flow problems which could be to the detriment of drivers and/or pedestrians.

The cost of demolition will vary but you should certainly budget carefully beforehand to make sure you have enough to get the job done – otherwise you might end up stuck with half a property halfway through. If you start at the high-end of the price range, getting a multi-building site professionally cleared can cost between £10-15k; but you might make some of this back if you’re willing to deconstruct slowly and recycle or sell-off old building materials. Smaller, residential jobs, on the other hand, might be carried out at as little as £1,000 - £2,000. As long as you plan everything sufficiently, you should be guaranteed a quick, hassle-free – but above all, safe – demolition, allowing you to get on with redeveloping the area or property as you’ve already planned.