Demolition advice
Building or demolition works can cause problems for neighbours
of the site. You can reduce or avoid causing any nuisance to the
neighbours, or action being taken by the Council, if you follow
this advice.
Removal of asbestos from buildings prior to demolition
works
Asbestos was used extensively as a building material in England
and Wales from the 1950's through to the mid 1980's. Although some
of this material has been removed over the years, there are many
thousands of tonnes of asbestos still present in buildings. It is
estimated that over half a million non-domestic premises currently
have some form of asbestos in them. Asbestos has been used in all
sorts of places, so you cannot presume buildings are free from
it.
Prior to demolition you have a legal obligation to ensure that
all the buildings involved are free from asbestos containing
materials. A type 3 asbestos survey which
includes full access sampling and identification must be
undertaken by a UKAS accredited organisation prior to
demolition.
Advice on Asbestos is available from the Health & Saftey
Executive.
Guidance
Tell the council and the neighbours
- Give Building Control 6 weeks notice of demolition
work. Building Control may impose some conditions about
how the work should be done.
- Send a letter to the neighbours before work starts, telling
them about the work and what to expect. Give the neighbours a
contact name and telephone number and keep them informed.
- Deal promptly with any complaints received on site.
Keep dust, noise and smoke to a minimum
Keep dust down by spraying with water when and where you
can.
Particularly noisy operations like pile driving may need more
stringent controls. Pumps and generators should not be left running
overnight if they can be heard outside the site.
If you are a householder doing some or all the work yourself,
try to avoid causing any noise or dust in the evenings or on
Sundays.
If noise problems occur, the Council and the neighbours can take
legal action. If you think your work may cause a significant
nuisance to the neighbours from noise or vibration, apply to
us for "prior consent" and we will allow a certain level
of noise to occur.
Smoke
- Bonfires that release "dark smoke" are illegal and
the council will prosecute any offenders.
- Advice about bonfires is available from the
council
- Stop the bonfire at the end of the working day.
Obstruction and damage to pavements
- Do not let vehicles or materials block or damage the
pavements.
- Do not leave obstacles, holes or trenches where they
are a danger, especially to disabled people.
- The Council may charge you for any damage caused to
pavements, kerbs or verges by lorries or heavy plant.
Compulsory purchase orders (contact Strategic Housing)
Where land or buildings are required by the Council for specific
development purposes, it is sometimes necessary to make Compulsory
Purchase Orders to acquire the property. Orders are also made to
enable us to acquire houses which are no longer fit for human
habitation.
Private property compulsory acquisitions (contact Strategic
Housing)
Compulsory acquisition involves us serving a Compulsory Purchase
Order (CPO) on property owners, which, once confirmed by the
Secretary of State, gives the Council rights to acquire the land
and property named in the Order. The owners and occupiers of
affected properties may be entitled to compensation and
rehousing.
We have issued Compulsary Purchase Orders in East
Central Rochdale as part of the Housing Market Renewal regeneration
programme. The demolition of these properties will release sites
for the building of new homes, which will provide a greater range
of property sizes, house types and tenures.
If you want to check if your property is affected by either a
current or intended future Compulsary Purchase Orders, or if you
know that your property is affected and you want to discuss
rehousing or compensation, please contact the Area Renewal Team of
Strategic Housing Services, using the contact details to the
right.