Home Page >
Planning and the Environment >
Building Control >
Dangerous structures
Home
Dangerous structures
A dangerous building or structure can be anything on or
about a building or structure that may be a danger to members of
the public.
The most common causes of dangerous
structures are:
- removal of lateral restraint to walls.
- failure of over-stressed piers.
- inadequate support to chimney breasts.
- filling flues with concrete.
- using existing brick walls as permanent shuttering to new
concrete work.
- sheeted scaffolds acting as sails in strong winds and pulling
down the wall to which the scaffolding is attached.
- undermining of foundations, usually by underpinning which is
badly designed and/or poorly sequenced.
- overloading of floors by builders materials.
- roof 'spreading' or collapsing due to the new coverings being
too heavy for the structure to sustain.
- loose or falling roof tiles.
- walls or fences that are in danger of collapse.
- unstable chimneys.
- larger buildings that become unstable.
If you are concerned that a building
or structure may be dangerous you can contact us at any time. In
the interests of public safety, Building Control Surveyors are on
call 24 hours a day every day of the year to give immediate
attention to dangerous structures. Details of how to contact our
surveyors can be found below.
A Building Control Officer will visit
the site and make an assessment as to whether the structure is
dangerous.
Report a dangerous structure
Costs
The owner of any building that becomes
dangerous is responsible for all the costs involved in making the
building safe. If the Council is unable to contact the owner
at the time, and the building needs to be made safe, the Council
may carry out the emergency works, and claim the costs back from
the owner.
Working with the emergency services
We are often contacted by the
emergency services for advice and help in dealing with dangerous
structures following fire, explosion, road accidents,
unexpected weather conditions affecting a construction
site, or the sudden collapse of buildings.
When necessary the danger is removed
immediately by specialist emergency contractors under the close
supervision of an experienced Building Control Surveyor who will
ensure that work is carried out in the most appropriate way.
Dangerous Structure Notice
If a property is in a dangerous
condition but is not considered an immediate danger, a formal
Dangerous Structure Notice may have to be served giving reasonable
time to respond and offering a point of contact for further
guidance.
If we have to take emergency action to
remove or secure a dangerous structure then we recharge the owner
to cover both our reasonable administration costs and our
contractor’s charges.
If minor defects are found in premises
we will usually offer informal advice on the best way of rectifying
problems without charge.
Useful websites
There are no related external links.
Redbridge news
Find out about things that are happening in the borough.
