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Bank holiday information - Easter

Bank holiday information for our services, including opening times and emergency contacts. All recycling collections will take place on the usual days.

Party Wall etc. Act 1996

The Party Wall Act gives guidance on preventing and resolving disputes about party walls, boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings.

If you are going to carry out building work you must find out whether that work falls within the Act. This would include building works that involve:

  • work on an existing wall shared with another property
  • building on the boundary with a neighbouring property
  • excavating near a neighbouring building.

If it does, you must tell all adjoining neighbours.

What is a party wall?

According to the Act a wall is a 'party wall' if:

  • it stands astride the boundary of land belonging to two or more different owners and is part of one building
  • it belongs to one owner but separates two or more buildings
  • it stands wholly on one owner's land but is used by two or more owners to separate their buildings.

A 'party fence wall' is not part of a building, and stands astride the boundary line between lands of different owners for example a garden wall.

A 'party structure' could be a wall, floor partition or similar which separates buildings or parts of buildings for example flats.

The Act covers work on existing party walls, new buildings on the boundary line between neighbouring pieces of land and excavation near neighbouring buildings.

Telling your neighbours about building work

You must tell your neighbours if you are planning building work on or near a party wall. The Gov.uk website has guidance on how to speak to your neighbours, and on what to do to reach an agreement. There is also advice if an agreement cannot be made. The explanatory booklet and example letters are also available to download.

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