Building Control Guidance Note No.9 - Your Construction Project and The Party Wall Act 1996

This is one of a series of building control guidance notes which aims to explain the building regulations procedures.

Your Construction Project and The Party Wall Act 1996

The Party Wall Act 1996 ('the Act') came into force on 1 July 1997 throughout England and Wales.

If you intend to carry out work which involves one of the following categories:

  • work on an existing wall or structure shared with another property (section 2 of the Act);
  • building a free standing wall or a wall of a building up to or astride the boundary with a neighbouring property (section 1 of the Act); or
  • excavating near or adjacent to a neighbouring building (section 6 of the Act);

you must find out whether that work falls within the Act. If it does, you must notify all affected neighbours in writing informing them of the nature of works and how you intend to ensure their safety during construction works.

The Act is separate from Planning and Building Regulations so you must remember that reaching agreement with your neighbour under the Act does not remove the possible need for planning permission or building regulations approval.

An explanatory booklet is available from: Building Control, Wrexham County Borough Council, Lambpit Street, Wrexham LL11 1WL.

For further information contact:

Chief Planning Officer, Lambpit Street, PO Box 1290, Wrexham, LL11 1WL.

Email: planning@wrexham.gov.uk
Tel: 01978 292050
Fax: 01978 292502

Adopted October 2002.

A copy of this leaflet is available to download in the following format:

Building Control Guidance Note No.9 - Your Construction Project and The Party Wall Act 1996 - PDF format 858kb

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