Lining Up Your Ducks – Step 1: Our key steps to ensuring a successful demolition project

1 – The Planning Stage

Before any successful demolition project can begin, its overall success is undoubtedly determined during the planning stage. It is common for people to want to rush this stage to focus on more exciting aspects such as design and creation of construction documents. However, it is imperative to dedicate sufficient time to the planning stage to ensure goals are defined, feasible and will end in optimal results.

Applying for planning permission

The application for planning permission is a vital part of the planning process and must be submitted to the local authority which will then determine whether approval is needed. We recommend always asking your local authority for advice on anything you’re unsure of, especially when demolition is needed to avoid the risk of legal action being taken against you.

When demolition of buildings within conservation areas are required, it is more tightly controlled and will require an ‘Application for planning permission for relevant demolition in a conservation area’ unless certain criteria are met. As well as this, listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments are covered by different legislation, requiring a separate application.

In order to make sure your planning permissions have the best chance of being approved, it’s important to work with an audited member of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors to help you prepare the plans and documents needed for submission. Doing so will help avoid potential delays which can often occur when companies are not aware of the specific documents needed such as ecological surveys.

Hiring ecologists and archaeologists

During the planning stage of some construction projects, ecologists can be required to attend to offer advice in regards to the wildlife legislation, check the condition of the site and decide which parts need to be protected from construction work.

As well as this, ecologists will help with preparing the relevant site documentation needed ahead of the works and oversee processes under an ecological watching brief. This is important to ensure best practice and compliance with all current UK ecological legislation. It will also be necessary and beneficial for them to oversee the construction plans, especially ones that may potentially impact legally protected sites as well as sensitive species and their habitats.

By having an ecologist on-site during this stage, it can help with providing evidence for clients and planning officers that ecological planning conditions have been followed and any endangered species have been rescued or relocated to a safer environment.

To further ensure there are no delays in the planning permission process, pre-application consultation with an archaeologist is recommended to assess the requirements for any archaeological information that will support the planning application.

They will also help to identify any known excavations nearby or sites of importance and assess the potential for archaeology on a site. It is beneficial to establish the likelihood of needing further work at an early stage to ensure accurate costs and time is allocated for the project.

For those who have the intention to demolish the whole or part of a building, the persons responsible will need to complete the Section 80 Demolition Notice, something that will be further explained in the next step to ensuring a successful project.

As an audited member of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors, Weaver can guarantee a well-managed and safe demolition project. If you would like to find out more about our demolition services, please contact us for more information.