Demolition Notice

Do I need give the council notice before demolishing a building?

Not all demolition work requires a demolition notice to be submitted. A demolition notice need not be served:

For the demolition of the internal part of a building, where the building is occupied and it is intended that it should continue to be occupied
Where the external volume of the building to be demolished is not greater than 50 m³
If the building is a greenhouse, shed, conservatory or prefabricated garage
If the building is an agricultural building - as defined by section 26 of the General Rate Act 1967, unless it is built against a building that is itself not an agricultural building.

Basic Requirements

Anyone intending to undertake the demolition of a building that is not in the above group must notify Wokingham Borough Council's Building Control Team.

The appropriate form can be down loaded below and must be submitted at least 6 weeks before the demolition is to be carried out.

Once the team has received the demolition notice and site plan with the site outlined in red, it will set out the steps to be followed to ensure that the building is demolished in a safe and satisfactory manner. These may include:

Shoring up adjacent buildings
Weatherproofing areas of adjacent buildings exposed by the demolition
Repairing or making good damage caused to adjacent buildings by the demolition
Removing rubbish and clearing the site
The disconnection, sealing or removal of any drainage under the building
Making arrangements with the appropriate statutory authorities for the disconnection of water, gas and electricity from the building
Informing the local fire authority if buildings or materials are to be burnt on site
Ensuring that the site is adequately fenced or otherwise protected to prevent danger to those on or near the site

We may choose to be notified of some of these steps so we can carry out inspections to ensure they are carried out correctly.

Read our guidance on the need for planning permission to demolish buildings.