Party Wall etc. Act 1996

Party Wall Services in Bagshot

Underneath Bagshot the ground is commonly the Bagshot Formation sands, which take their name from this village and outcrop widely across the surrounding heath, and what a foundation or a bearing has to do depends on it. Open Plan Homes Limited carries out party wall services across Bagshot, designing against what a site investigation actually shows rather than against a standard detail.

Every enquiry starts the same way: we look at the property, establish what is genuinely load bearing, and then set out in writing what the work involves and what it will cost. Nothing is priced from a photograph.

Bagshot, Surrey

Local Considerations for Party Wall Services in Bagshot

Planning authority
Surrey Heath Borough Council
County
Surrey
Typical ground
Bagshot Formation sands, which take their name from this village and outcrop widely across the surrounding heath
Party wall exposure
The High Street property is terraced or closely spaced, so party wall notices are a normal part of a Bagshot centre project.

Bagshot covers a real mix of building stock, and which part of the town a property sits in changes what party wall services actually involves. Around Bagshot High Street, Bagshot Park and Windlesham Road, the older stock is older High Street property and Victorian villas along the former coaching road. Further out you find post war estates behind the High Street and newer infill on subdivided garden plots, where the construction is more standardised and the structural picture is usually easier to establish.

On the planning side, Surrey Heath Borough Council is the local planning authority, with Surrey County Council above it for highways matters such as skip permits and any scaffold that reaches the pavement. It is also worth knowing that the High Street sits within a conservation area, and the heathland around the village forms part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area. None of that necessarily stops a project, but it does change the route, and it is far cheaper to establish before a design is fixed than after.

The ground under Bagshot is commonly the Bagshot Formation sands, which take their name from this village and outcrop widely across the surrounding heath, which is relevant wherever a foundation or a new bearing is involved, though a site investigation is what confirms it for a particular plot. The High Street property is terraced or closely spaced, so party wall notices are a normal part of a Bagshot centre project. The A30 frontage carries traffic management implications for any scaffold or delivery that encroaches on the highway, which is a Surrey County Council matter rather than a borough one.

What is included

Party Wall Services in Bagshot: What Is Involved

On a Bagshot project, party wall services covers the following. The list does not change from town to town, but what each item involves depends on the property in front of us.

01.

Acting as Party Wall Surveyor

For a building owner or an adjoining owner, and as agreed surveyor where both sides are content with that.

02.

Advice on Whether the Act Applies

Not every project needs a notice, and serving one unnecessarily creates delay and cost that need not exist.

03.

Dispute Resolution

Where a neighbour dissents, an award sets out what may be done, when, and on what terms.

04.

Issuing and Serving Party Wall Notices

Notices drafted and served correctly, on the right people, with the right notice period, so the clock actually starts.

The structural question

The Part That Decides the Job

In Bagshot this comes up most often on older High Street property and Victorian villas along the former coaching road, where the original construction was never drawn and has to be established on site.

The excavation limb of the Act is the one most often missed. Digging within three metres of a neighbouring structure and to a depth below its foundations engages the Act, and so does digging within six metres if the excavation falls below a line drawn at forty five degrees from the base of their foundation. On a rear extension with a trench fill foundation close to a boundary, that is a routine situation rather than an unusual one.

Structural opening being formed with temporary support in place during a party wall project
Questions we get asked

Party Wall Services in Bagshot: Frequently Asked Questions

Does the ground in Bagshot affect the foundation design?

It can. Across Bagshot the underlying ground is commonly the Bagshot Formation sands, which take their name from this village and outcrop widely across the surrounding heath, and that has a bearing on foundation depth, on how a new bearing is detailed, and on how close to mature trees a foundation can sensibly go. That is a general description of the area rather than a statement about any particular plot, so where foundations are involved we design against what an investigation on the site actually shows.

Will a project in Bagshot need a party wall notice?

The High Street property is terraced or closely spaced, so party wall notices are a normal part of a Bagshot centre project. If the property is semi detached or terraced, or if the foundations for any new element sit close to a boundary, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is likely to apply and notice has to be served before work starts. We can confirm the position once we have seen the property, and serve the notices as part of the same project rather than leaving you to arrange it separately.

What is a schedule of condition and do I need one?

It is a dated photographic record of the neighbouring property before work starts. It is the single most useful document if a crack is later attributed to your work, and we recommend it even where a neighbour has consented.

Do you also work in the areas around Bagshot?

Yes. Alongside Bagshot we regularly work in Lightwater and Camberley, and across the wider Surrey border area from our office in Fleet. Bear in mind that some of those neighbouring towns sit under a different council to Bagshot, so the planning and building control route can change from one to the next even over a short distance.

Are there heritage or planning constraints to watch in Bagshot?

Yes. The High Street sits within a conservation area, and the heathland around the village forms part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area. Where any of that applies to a property, permitted development cannot be assumed, and on a listed building even internal alterations can need consent. We establish which of these apply to your address at the start, because it can change the structural solution as well as the paperwork.

Does the Act apply to flats and leasehold property?

It can, and the notice may need to go to the freeholder as well as to leaseholders with an interest of more than a year. Getting the list of adjoining owners right is one of the more common places notices go wrong.

How much notice do I have to give my neighbour?

Two months for work to a party structure, and one month for excavation and for building at the boundary line. Work should not start before the notice period expires and consent or an award is in place.

Do you cover the whole of Bagshot, including Bagshot High Street?

Yes. Bagshot is fully within our normal working area for party wall services, from Bagshot High Street, Bagshot Park, Windlesham Road and the A30 through to the surrounding streets. The A30 frontage carries traffic management implications for any scaffold or delivery that encroaches on the highway, which is a Surrey County Council matter rather than a borough one.

Do I have to serve a party wall notice for a rear extension?

It depends on where the foundations sit and whether you are cutting into a shared wall. On a semi detached or terraced property with foundations close to the boundary, notice is usually required. On a detached house set well back from every boundary, often it is not.

Which council handles building control for party wall services in Bagshot?

Bagshot falls under Surrey Heath Borough Council. It is the local planning authority, with Surrey County Council above it for highways matters such as skip permits and any scaffold that reaches the pavement. That matters because a set of calculations and drawings has to be submitted to the authority that actually covers the address, and on this patch the boundaries run close together, so neighbouring towns can sit with entirely different councils.

Talk it through first

Party Wall Services in Bagshot

Tell us what you are trying to do with the space and we will tell you what it involves. We are based at First Floor, 30 Reading Road South, Fleet, and Bagshot is well within our normal working area. Every project gets a written scope and price after we have seen the property.