Blaby District Council

Summary

Owners wishing to demolish a building must give notice to the local authority under Section 80 of The Building Act 1984 and if all is satisfactory Building Control will issue a consent notice with a schedule of requirements including termination of services. When demolition has taken place the site should be cleared and made safe.

How to notify the council

1. See printable forms below to complete the Demolitions Notification form.
2. A Demolitions Notification form can also be obtained from Building Control – contact details at the foot of this page
3. A location plan of the building and adjoining streets must be provided together with a method statement for the demolition of larger buildings. Statutory undertakers should also be notified in order that they may arrange for their services to be properly sealed.
4. Please note that this is a free service.

Printable forms

• Demolition notification form (PDF, 51KB)

Further information

Greenhouses, conservatories, prefabricated garages and sheds do not require permission to be demolished. Usually, if the building to be demolished has a volume of less than 1750 cubic feet (49.56 cubic metres) then permission is not required to knock it down.

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.

Tell the Council and the neighbours

• Give the Local Authority 6 weeks notice of demolition work. The Council 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

• Dust: Keep dust down by spraying with water when and where you can.
• Noise: There should be no noise heard from the site outside these hours:
  07.30 – 18.00 hrs Monday to Friday & 08.00 – 13.00 hrs Saturday

  Particularly noisy operations (e.g. 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 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 for “prior consent” from the Council who 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 Local Authority.
  • Stop the bonfire at the end of the working day.
  • Bonfires that cause smoke or odour nuisance to residents should be avoided. Enforcement action can be taken by the Council.

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 (e.g. the blind).
• The Council may charge you for any damage caused to pavements, kerbs or verges by lorries or heavy plant.

If you are having construction or refurbishment work done, you may need to notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and you may have other duties as well – find out more below.

External websites

• Health and safety executive (external link)

Contact us

Officer / Team	Building Control
Postal address	Blaby District Council Council Offices Desford Road Narborough Leicester LE19 2EP
E-mail address	building.control@blaby.gov.uk
Telephone	0116 272 7533
Fax	0116 272 7599

If you need this information in other languages or formats (large print, Braille or audio), please let us know when you contact us.

This page was last updated on 15th April 2010