In October 2023, the government introduced changes to Building Control laws. These changes place new duties of competence on all parties involved, and also affect higher-risk buildings. You can read more about the changes.
Demolishing a building
You need to tell us if you intend to demolish a building or part of a building, at least six weeks before the demolition.
You don’t need to tell us if you are going to demolish:
- a small building that is less than 50 cubic metres
- certain agricultural buildings
After you have informed us, we will send you a counter notice. You can’t demolish the building until you have received the counter notice.
To tell us that you intend to demolish a building, you will need:
- to read the guidance notes
- to sign in to DataSpace Live, or register if you do not already have an account
- the name and contact details of the person who will demolish the building
- the name and contact details of the person who wants the demolition, if it is not the person demolishing the building
- the location of the building to be demolished
- the dates when the demolition will take place
You will also need to submit a site plan showing:
- the site boundaries
- which buildings you are demolishing
- the buildings next to the building you are demolishing
- the location of drains and sewers that you will seal, disconnect or remove
You can find information about planning permission and demolition on the Planning Portal.
Section 80 to 83 of the Building Act 1984 gives details of the procedures you need to follow, and the powers we have to serve notices requiring that you meet certain obligations. It also describes the penalties for not following the requirements.
You should not start a demolition UNLESS you have given notice of intention to us, AND a minimum period of six weeks from the giving of that notice has passed. The demolition can only start sooner if we have served notices in accordance with sections 81 and 82 of the Act before the end of the six week time period.
Section 81 notices may require you to carry out certain works. These include:
- works to ensure the stability and weather resistance of any adjacent building
- the sealing or disconnection of drainage and other services
Section 81 notices will also state that you need to notify us before you carry out certain operations on site. You can contact us to ask us for further information on these.
You must also be aware of:
- the Control of Pollution Act 1974, regarding the control of noise from demolition operations
- the Clean Air Act 1993, regarding the emission of dark smoke
- the Environmental Protection Act 1990, regarding the disposal of waste material (ie to a licensed site).
You can get further information on these matters from Environmental Services.
You must also comply with the Construction, Design and Management Regulations and the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, to ensure safe working practices on site. You can get further details on this from the Health and Safety Executive.
You need to contact Highways Services to apply for road opening permits, scaffolding, hoarding or skip licences, or any other matter affecting the highway. To avoid any confusion as to whether or not footways have been damaged by the works, you should take detailed photographs before staring works to show the current state of repair of the highway and street furniture.
You also need to get any planning permission, prior approval, listed building or conservation area consents before starting work, as appropriate. You can get further information on this from our Planning Services.
If you need technical support when completing the form on DataSpace Live, you can call 01242 260505.
You should not call this line for advice about demolitions or to discuss a current demolition notice.