Structural survey - Planning validation requirements

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Planning document information

Description 

A structural survey is a detailed and comprehensive report on the condition of a property. 

Guidance 

The report you submit should include an executive summary and be clear, easy to read and jargon free. 

Your structural survey report must include details of the following items: 

  • footings - these will not be deep but any exposed footings should be noted 
  • settlement - position and reason for settlement, such as failure of footings, tree growth, water course etc. 
  • ground conditions - including water table level 
  • wall construction - solid brick or stone, double leaf for example stone, rubble and stone. Pointing detail, for example flush, bagged, weathered 
  • bowing or bulging of walls, cracking and the reason for failure for example, lintel failure, lack of restraint at eaves 
  • erosion of wall materials - brick, stone or displacement of cobbles due to mortar failure 
  • rising/penetrating damp 
  • frost damage 
  • sulphate attack - for example, breakdown of renders or cementitious product 
  • timber structure - frame intermediate floors or roof 
  • condition of timber - including fungal attack and beetle infestation 
  • floor construction - ground floor finish and condition 
  • upper floors' construction beams, joist size and centres 
  • roof construction - including finish and fixing detail, rafter size and centres, purlins, trusses 
  • roof condition - sagging between supporting walls, purlins or other movement. Slipped or missing slates/tiles.  Areas replaced with corrugated asbestos cement and the like 
  • metal columns, ties and any corrosion of same 
  • existence of any vermin and birds. You can read our section Ecological Impact Assessment [link to entry in this directory] for further details 
  • nesting of any owls or bats. Do not disturb any bat roosts as it is illegal to do so. You can read our section Ecological Impact Assessment [link to entry in this directory] for further details 

If your application is for a listed building, you must include a method statement on how you propose to deal with any structural problems. Your method statement must show on measured drawings of the existing building: 

  • any structural problems 
  • your proposed method to rectify or alter the problem 
  • the sequence of work 
  • details of temporary works and propping 

We recommend that you have your structural survey carried out by suitably qualified professionals. 

You can get help and advice from our Duty Planner structural surveys and planning applications. 

You can get detailed feedback on your proposal by using our pre-application advice service. 

Personal and confidential statement 

We may publish any information you submit as part of your application. You must tell us if there is any information you do not want us to publish when you submit your application.  

If however, we believe that this information is in the public interest, we reserve the right to publish it.  

We may also decide parts of your submission are not in the public interest and may redact this information. This information may include telephone numbers, email addresses and signatures. 

Application that always need this document

Depending on the details of your application, you may have to submit a structural survey when you are submitting an application for: 

If your application is for one of these types of planning permission, you need to submit a structural survey if your proposal is for: 

  • a Listed Building [link to entry in this directory]where the structural condition of the building requires it or it is to be converted to a new use. 
  • work that involves substantial demolition 
  • a Conversion of a building [link to entry in this directory] such as barns, agricultural building or anything which is not designed for its proposed use. If the building you are converting is clearly capable of conversion without significant alterations or demolitions then a structural survey may not be required. 
Validation requirements

Required by 

  • National requirement. You can find details of this requirement in sections 126 to 141, 169 and 170 of the National Planning Policy Framework 
  • Local requirement. You can find details of this requirement in: 
    • Local plan policy - LPP40
    • Local plan policy - LPP52
    • Local plan policy - LPP58
    • Local plan policy - LPP57
    • Local plan policy - SP7

These policies can be found in the Local Plan 2013 - 2033 document