Newark & Sherwood District Council

Where a building or other structure is in such an unsafe condition that it may place people in danger, we have legal powers to investigate, and to require that it be made safe. Typical examples would be buildings that have been made unsafe due to vehicle impact or those in danger of collapse.

In order to be considered dangerous, a building must actually pose a threat of causing harm to a person. Buildings which are simply dilapidated or run down would not necessarily therefore be considered dangerous, and minor items (damaged timber fencing panels for example) are also unlikely to qualify.

Where we investigate a report of a dangerous building and decide that action is required, this will be confirmed to the building owner via a formal notice, and will usually take one of the following:

• if the building is so dangerous that we consider immediate action is necessary, we will employ contractors to make it safe straight away. In some cases this may entail fencing-off the affected area to allow remedial work to be carried out later by the owner. Where this is not practical, however, we will instruct a contractor to make the building or structure safe immediately.
• where the building is considered dangerous - but not immediately so, we will normally try to contact the owner and require that the work be made safe within reasonable period of time. If the owner fails to respond, we can apply to the Magistrates' Court for an Order allowing us to carry out the work instead.

Please note that in both the above cases we can only require the minimum amount of work necessary to make the building safe, and will attempt to recover any costs we incur in doing so from the building owner.

If you are a building owner and are concerned that part of your property may be dangerous, or if you see a building in the newark and sherwood area which you think may be dangerous, please contact us and we will arrange for it to be inspected.

If you would like to report a dangerous structure please contact us on the below number or email:
01636 650000
bcsupport@nsdc.info