Demolition - Adur & Worthing Councils

About demolition

Any person intending to demolish a building or part of a building to which Section 80 of the Building Act 1984 refers must give the council notice of their intention using the demolition notice form below. The Act contains provisions that enable local authorities to control demolition works for the protection of public safety and to ensure adjoining premises and the site are made good on completion.

Exceptions to this are:

if a demolition order is made under the Housing Act 1957
the demolition of an internal part of an occupied building
the demolition of a building with a volume of 50m³ or less
the demolition of a greenhouse, conservatory, shed or prefabricated garage

If you are demolishing a building, you must make sure:

the occupiers of buildings next to yours are informed, in compliance with the Party Wall Act
the gas, electricity and water supplies for the building have been disconnected
drainage from the building or site will be sealed
the main building is secure after completion, if you are demolishing part of a building

Six weeks prior notice must be given to the local authority before any demolition commences. Upon receipt of such a notice the authority will respond with a counter notice listing conditions which the person concerned must comply with (Building Act 1984, section 81).

Note: It is against the law to start a demolition until your application is approved.

Planning permission

You may need to check with the Planning department to see if you require planning permission.

Other restrictions may apply if the property is in a conservation area or is a listed building.

Apply for a notice of intended demolition

Costs: There is a fixed fee for demolition notice applications.

For details of the charges please see:

Environmental Health Fees & Charges 2025/26 - Adur & Worthing Councils (123KB)

Note: It is against the law to start a demolition until your application is approved.

To submit a notice of intended demolition: please follow these steps:

After clicking the link you will need to register.
Once registered please click on 'Requests' - then 'Submit a request complaint'.
Choose ‘Notice to local authority of intended demolition' under 'Request subject'.

Submit a notice of intended demolition

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