In general terms you do NOT require planning consent to demolish a building in the UK but you DO need to give six weeks notice to the Local Authority in writing.
But you must be aware of the following (which is mostly just common sense)
If the building is listed or in a conservation area you may well go to prison if you demolish it
If you have given a bank a mortgage or any kind of charge over the building, expect serious trouble - they will probably demand their money back in 30 days
If the building adjoins other buildings act with great care and talk to the neighbours unless you want a blizzard of writs - they may well have rights of support and so on.
Unless the building is a detached building in the middle of a field, the Local Authority will have a lot to say about the process and how you need to protect the public
If the building is genuinely dangerous then instant demolition as best you can should be OK ...
Years ago, I went to see a detached building in the middle of a piece of land that was up for auction. It looked to be in poor condition but solid. It was occupied by a garage and the tenant immediately came out and told me that the building was "unsafe and is going to fall down". Being a cynic, I deduced from this that he wanted to buy it and was trying to stop people from bidding against him
So, I bought it with the expectation of doing a longer term deal with the tenant
About a month later I drove there for no particular reason but the street was cordoned off and a huge machine was busy demolishing my building! Yes, that is literally what happened - no notices, no phone calls, no nothing - just a huge machine knocking it down. The tenant emerged from the crowd of spectators and said "I told you it was falling down, I don't understand why you bought it"
Yes, good point
Bob Cory
Modified on 30/08/2019 at 09:10:42 by ℗ Bob Cory