Dangerous Buildings/Structures.

Buildings can become dangerous for any number of reasons such as deterioration, inclement weather, settlement, vandalism or by more dramatic causes such as fire, explosion or impact by vehicles, to deal with these problems we are on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year, and respond to requests to attend on site, by Police, Fire Service or members of the public.

01743 281338 during office hours 

01743 281500 outside office hours 

The Building Act 1984 empowers Local Authorities to deal with a building or structure, which is in a dangerous condition. Building Control has the responsibility for ensuring that reported dangerous buildings and structures are dealt with as far as possible to prevent injury to the public.

Once a report is received, one of our Building Control Surveyors will visit site to assess the danger and associated risks.

If immediate action is needed to remove the danger, i.e. a wall is in danger of collapse, Section 78 of the Act gives us powers to carry out remedial work immediately.

Where the owner or occupier of the building/structure is known to us then they will be contacted and given the opportunity to carry out works within a strict time scale.

If (as is often the case) the inspection shows the building/structure to be not necessarily dangerous but in poor condition, we will advise the owner of the work/measures or repairs needed to make the work safe.

When on rare occasions the building owner fails to undertake the works required by us then action will can be taken through the Magistrates Court leading to the owner(s) being ordered by the court to carry out the work and pay all necessary costs.

Demolitions

Building Control responsibilities also include the supervision of private demolitions under the provisions of Sections 80 and 81 of the Building Act, to ensure that buildings are demolished in a safe manner preventing any danger to the public during the course of the work.

Where incidents of nuisance are caused as a result of demolition work, such as noise, smoke, vibration, obstruction/damage to pavements and verges, these issues are dealt with by our Environmental department under environmental protection measures and they can be contacted via the following link:  Environmental Health Department